One Way Ticket
by Gold-On-The-Ceiling-42
Summary: It wasn't Dean who swung that hammer at Sam.
1. Introductions

Ch.1

Introductions

Crowley looked around his throne room and watched the other demons squirm in discomfort. He waved away the clinging smoke in the room, all that remained of the demon who mocked him. What was his name? Crowley decided it didn't matter. As his eyes passed over the torches and gray walls, he remarked on how well this room was lit. It was as if sunlight were streaming into the space instead of screams... Not that he liked sunlight. Though the phenomena had fascinated him during his... affliction, it moved him no more. Crowley shook his head and took note of the large queue growing at the door of the hall. He was pleased to see that no one made a move to step forward, their eyes glazed with fear and respect. Excellent. If only Dean had shown him some respect.

"Listen up everyone!" Crowley said powerfully, enjoying how a few troublesome demons flinched, expecting punishment. "I have gathered you all here for a purpose. I need my very best. I have a task for you." Crowley's voice dropped to a dangerous hiss. "I need someone to kill Dean Winchester." He paused, and let the silence condense. One by one the demons converged in conversation, whispering as they all looked to another to step up to the task. Crowley was displeased to see that they all appeared to be afraid to take out the newly minted Knight of Hell. Then, amidst the murmuring, a voice rang out, clear as a bell.

"I'll do it." A hush fell over the demons, as everyone turned to face who had spoken, a tall man in the far back of the crowd. Crowley leaned forward, interested, but found he could not make out the demon's face. He gestured for the man to step forward. Once he did, Crowley could do little but stare and gawk. Finding so many anomalies with the man- no, _boy_ would be more accurate- he decided to speak on the most obvious one.

"You're not a demon."

The blonde haired boy sighed. "No, but when I die I probably will be." Crowley smirked.

"You're not a demon, but you think you can take on a Winchester? A Winchester who is also a _Knight of Hell? _One of those things is bad enough, but put those two together and it's a nightmare for demons, humans, and angels alike." The boy chuckled.

"Where I'm from would give nightmares even to the King of Hell. Your Majesty." Crowley disliked the sarcasm spoken with his title, but found himself intrigued by the human. It wasn't often there was anything other than a demon in hell. Speaking of demons, the crowd at the door were watching intently, looks of delight on their hideous faces. They clearly expected the boy to be punished for speaking to the king so frankly. Crowley hadn't decided, but he did know that he wanted to find out who this boy was. He got up from his throne and walked down from the dias to the boy in front of him, and began to pace around him. The boy, irritated, matched his pace, until the two were circling each other, firing questions and responses.

"How does a human end up in hell?"

"Is that a joke? Wasn't everyone in here human at some point?"

"Just answer the question."

The boy sighed. "Most are dragged down by hellhounds. I was dragged down by something much worse."

"A demon?"

"My brother. Speaking of which, I've been trying to find him." The boy stopped pacing and glanced at the demons in the back and frowned slightly when he did not find what he was looking for. He resumed pacing.

"Your brother? Oh, do I have experience in family drama." Crowley smiled as the boy rolled his eyes."Let me guess. The hounds came for your brother as his ten years were up, and he tried to have them take you instead of him. Happens all the time."

"Something like that."

"What doesn't make sense is how you're still human. Or not on the torture rack."

"True but I'm not going to explain anything. Do I get the job or what?"

Crowley liked the boy's sass but something was off about him. It wasn't often demons, or humans, threw themselves into something as stupid as hunting a Winchester unless it was personal. "Hold your horses, boy." Crowley said. "Surely you've heard rumors of the Winchesters."

The boy smirked. "I have."

"All the more reason to run scared. What makes you so special?" And suddenly Crowley knew who this boy was. The cocky attitude, the way he held himself, high but incredibly beaten down. And Crowley knew he had found his assassin. He still had to be sure though... "I'll ask you again. What makes you think you can take down Dean Winchester?"

Adam Milligan smiled. "I've been in the cage with Michael and Lucifer for 600 years. I think I can handle my brother."

A/N

Hey guys! Thanks for reading! If you loke this story, be sure to check out my teen wolf crossover, "Blood on my Name." Adam isn't in it, but you should check it out. This is my second fic, so I will happily take reviews and suggestions. Lots of the story is already written, so there will be an update soon. Author's notes will always be at the bottom. This is an alternate Season 10, so if you haven't seen that beware of spoilers. Enjoy!


	2. Down, Down, Down

Ch.2

Down, Down, Down

Adam woke up in an empty cemetery under a blue sky. He sat up and groaned, seeming to ache everywhere. Adam rubbed his stiff neck as he got his bearings. Well, he wasn't in hell anymore, for starters. Looking down at himself he saw that his body was in relatively normal condition, and he was wearing the same clothes he had had on when he was first possessed. Something metallic clinked as he adjusted his dark green jacket, and reaching into his pocket Adam found a pair of handcuffs. He grimaced. He had momentarily forgotten why he was raised from hell, but it was coming back to him now. The way Crowley had thrown the cuffs at his feet, declaring that they would render Dean powerless. He had written instructions for a summoning spell on a red sheet of paper and placed it in Adam's breast pocket before dragging him out of the throne room by his elbow, the throng of demons parting around the pair like a soulless sea. Adam had barely had time to snatch up the handcuffs before he had been whirled away on a roller coaster ride as his body and soul rushed to the surface. He remembered panicking, wondering if he would feel an angel's grasp around his ankle, wondering if Michael and Lucifer would change their minds, pull him down, down, down. Michael and Lucifer...

No. Adam squeezed his eyes shut. Now was not the time to think of his time in the cage. He pictured the tinted memories at the back of his mind, out of sight, and slowly they receded. Adam let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, and calmed a heart rate he hadn't realized had been hammering. Crowley had said, right before sending him topside, that hell would follow Adam on earth. His memories would torture him unless he found a supernatural way of dealing with them, like Sam had done. The mention of his brother sent his blood boiling, but Adam held his feelings back. Already he could feel the darkness in the recesses of his memories creep forward, ready to burn away his sanity. Adam was determined to fight it, though, and was certain that he had enough time. Enough time to do what he needed to do. Speaking of which...

Adam, still sitting on the hard cemetery ground, searched the remainder of his pockets for anything else useful to him. He found Crowley's note, and chuckled when he saw that the stationary was not only red but had little devil's horns in the corner. Apart from the weird ingredients on the page, (daffodils? really?) Adam was surprised to see an address for some place in Lebanon, Kansas. No way could it be that easy. Finding nothing else in his jacket, Adam stood up, wincing as his legs creaked and groaned. He felt like he hadn't stood up in... well, 600 years. Squinting against the harsh sunlight, Adam blinked to make out the words on the black iron gate a ways ahead of him. His blood ran cold when he did. Stull Cemetery. This was where it had happened, where he had fought as Michael's strength took over every cell of Adam's body, been forced through being burned alive, his heart sinking and his stomach plummeting as Sam had reached for him and dragged him down, down, down... Michael and Lucifer were directly below his feet.

Adam shook with anger, and it was this that propelled him to put one foot in front of the other, until he was standing at the cemetary gates. Looking back at the stone cold graves, one thought was coursing through his thoughts. He wanted to get revenge. On Sam, on Dean, on Michael, Lucifer, anyone who so much as represented the horrors that had happened to him. He wanted to see how they liked being dragged by their own blood down to certain doom...

Adam's thoughts were interrupted by his stomach growling rather loudly. Feeling suddenly faint, Adam realized that he was both really hungry and incredibly parched. His throat felt like it had been rubbed against sandpaper., and he was beginning to feel faint. Food. Adam would get food, and then hunt down his brothers. Food, water, and maybe some sleep. Then revenge. Food, water, sleep, maybe get some money and some weapons. Food, water, sleep...

It was this train of thought that kept Adam moving as he walked from Stull Cemetery to inside the outskirts of Lawrence, Kansas. Quickly locating an abandoned tan car in an alley, Adam smashed the window with his elbow before unlocking it and climbing inside. To his luck, a wallet had been left behind next to the seat. Looking inside, Adam let out a low whistle. $600. That would cover lunch/dinner, easy, as well as any number of motel rooms he may need on his way to Lebanon. Seeing that it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Adam went outside to the car's hood and hotwired it like one of his mom's boyfriends had shown him. Was it John?...No. John was off limits right now. The car started, and Adam peeled away, off to the closest burger joint and wherever the road took him.

It was 12 o'clock the next day when Adam left a motel in the middle of nowhere in an indistinct grey sudan. A different car than the tan nightmare he had originally taken, Adam peeled out of the parking lot, rut more like it, heading west at 100 miles per hour. He had lost time, he thought to himself grimly, sleeping in and eating lunch. The sooner he killed Dean, the better, before his memories got free. It had been worth it, though, he lamented. The hot shower, the horrible food, getting a map and seeing with relief that he wasn't very far away from his brothers. If they knew what was coming for them...

As Adam passed a town he slowed down, suddenly very conscious that he didn't have a license on him, or a phone. He really did not want to risk getting pulled over. No license, stolen car, looking as 19 as the day he died, it wouldn't be good.

With nothing to do but drive down an empty road, Adam pondered his existence. He supposed it hadn't really hit him that he had escaped hell less than 24 hours ago, because for that to happen he would need to remember hell. He knew he had been there, knew it was horrible, could feel the evil of the memories at the back of his mind, but his recently reanimated brain was blocking them, probably out of shock, and for now, Adam was grateful. He was not looking forward to when the gates would open. He needed to be strong when he hunted his brother, not a quivering mess. For a while, Adam pondered life post Dean, but decided it didn't matter. He had priorities, and Crowley had hinted at a way to help Adam with his memories. _If _Dean Winchester was brought to him.

Supposedly, it was October, 2014. Adam had found a newspaper at his cheap motel, and had read it. It had been 5 years since he fell, but it felt like so much longer. Adam looked 19 and was really 24, but he didn't feel 19 or 24. He felt ancient, all the years of damnation weighing on his shoulders. He couldn't remember the details, but he could remember the time. His fingers clenched the steering wheel angrily, and red clouded his vision. His brothers had let him rot in hell _for 5 fucking years. _Sure, Sam had dragged him down, but if Dean had gotten him out of the golden room, Adam wouldn't have said yes in the first place. It was both their faults. He would make them both pay.

The more Adam drove, the less the anger flared up, however it was still there, feeding a burning pit of resentment. A while down the road, Adam saw a sign indicating that he was 50 miles from Lebanon. Next to the sign was an old, dusty gas station, and Adam's heart leapt in his throat as he saw a familiar, hideous tan mustang parked by it. _Crap. I stole that car. And left it 50 miles from Lawrence. Crap. _Adam felt the money he had taken from the car burn a hole in his pocket, and he winced as two people exited the car, a man in a long tan trench coat, and a woman in black slacks, both with dark brown hair. Not wanting to be more guilt ridden than necessary, Adam sped to a breakneck speed, leaving his former car and it's owners behind in even more dust.

It was nearly nightfall by the time Adam approached what he guessed was the bunker. With it's pale yellow brickwork, isolate location, and door sunken down several steps into the earth, it seemed ideal for a hiding spot. Adam parked his car then rushed down the steps to a heavy metal door. He turned the handle... and found it unlocked. Smiling, Adam ran inside, leaving the door to shut with a resounding metal echo.

Sam jumped in surprise at the far-off sounding boom, his hand holding the syringe hovering over Dean's exposed arm. In front of him, Dean smirked.

"What's the matter, Sammy? Afraid of a little noise?" Sam rolled his eyes, sick of hearing the never-ending contempt in Dean's voice.

'It's not a noise, Dean. Someone's got into the bunker. It can't be Cas... He called from at least 10 miles away just a minute ago. I'm going to go check it out. But first..." Sam jammed the needle into his brother's arm, ignoring Dean's cursing and flailing. He walked out of the cellar without another word.

Okay. This place was _awesome. _Adam watched the glittering controls, mesmerized by the sheer quantity. He was in what could only be described as a control room, with high arching ceilings, maps, lights, buzzers, and a long, brown table in the center. Stupefied, Adam walked along the length of the room, taking in the books, the swords, everything. He knew his brothers were hunters, the best if the rumors in hell were to be believed, but still. The massive scale of this operation unnerved Adam. As he walked along the bookshelves, he couldn't help but wonder. With all the resources his brothers seemed to have, why hadn't they found a way to rescue him?

Once the original shock began to wear off, fear and anger began to set in. Mainly fear. He had known what he had signed up for, sure, but now that he was here it all began to feel more real. Less like the fever dreams he had had in the cage. Dean Winchester was scary enough as a hunter. Now he was supercharged, and immortal, without morals... And Adam was supposed to bring him in. Awesome.

The sound of footsteps snapped Adam out of his daze, and he quickly hid behind a bookshelf as Sam came into the room, holding a syringe. As he moved, Adam studied his brother carefully. His hair was a lot longer, his arm was in a sling, he looked like he hadn't slept in years, buut other than that he looked fine. Not like someone who had survived 100 years of archangel torture. For a second, Adam held on to a glimmer of hope. _If he can get better, then so can I. _Sam had, however, probably had help. Adam would need Crowley, and for that he would need Dean. Sam looked along the bookcases and around the room, before turning and walking away. Keeping a beady eye on Sam's retreating back, Adam began to follow one of his brothers. The other he would drag down, down, down.

**A/N Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading. I can't believe how much respone I've gotten in one day! I'll update again soon, and Happy Holidays. Make sure to review, and thanks for those who have already! Happy Holidays! **


	3. Not Your Ideal Family Reunion

Ch. 3

Not Your Ideal Family Reunion

Adam followed Sam through several dark hallways, around twists and turns and fluorescent lighting. Most of the green and white hallways had several gray doors, most closed. A few were open, though, and while making sure to lag behind Sam, Adam peered into their rooms. Two had beds on them, one with guns on the walls. One had what appeared to be a giant old computer. This was a very, very weird place. The sound of a door opening reached Adam's ears, and he peered around a corner just in time to see Sam disappear into a closet. Adam rushed forward, ready for confrontation, but when he wrenched the door open he found a closet full of files and shelves. And it was empty.

No, no, no. Adam was not going crazy. He had seen Sam come into this room. He was sure of it. The room, however, was cramped, small, stuffed with boxes upon boxes upon cabinets of files. A quick peek showed them to be hunter files. This really was the supernatural motherload. Adam punched a box, not caring how much sound it made. The stack of papers precariously perched on said box tumbled to the floor with a thump. Adam swore venomously, then bent down to pick them up, haphazardly stuffing them together. It was as he was doing this that he noticed an unnatural shaft of light along the back wall of the closet. He put his hand on top of the perfectly straight golden line, and felt a faint draft. Adam almost laughed in relief. It wasn't a wall. It was a door. A door to _what, _he wasn't sure, but he was confident with some investigation he could figure it out. Adam stood up and eagerly pressed his ear against a gap in the cabinets. He could hear two muffled voices. _Sam and Dean. This is great! I know where Dean is, and I know how to corner him. All I need is for Sam to leave for a minute- _No sooner were these thoughts made present that Adam began to hear footsteps from the other room, getting closer to the door. _Shoot. _It was probably Sam, no doubt to investigate the noise Adam had made with the papers he was now clutching to his chest. He now threw the papers back on top of their box, and, not knowing what else to do, flung himself out of the room and threw open the door directly across the hallway. He closed it just as light pooled into the closet around a very tall shadow.

Through the peephole in his makeshift room, Adam marvelled at the wa the crates swung open to reveal a dimly lit grey room. Adam couldn't make out much, however, as Sam's frame blocked out just about everything but the light. He watched Sam snoop around the closet, but after getting bored he turned to the room sheltering it. It was another bedroom, and it was stark bare. The closet was open and empty. A quick investigation showed that the cabinets and dressers were too. There were no bedclothes on the bed and it all had a gray tinge. A lot less homey than the rooms he had passed. Still, it was better than the cage. Adam shook his thoughts away from the cage, but was distracted enough to open his door and step into the hallway before looking first. Luckily, Sam had his back to him and was walking back into the secret room. Adam peered around his brother's massive silhouette to see a very strange sight.

It was Dean, in a maroon shirt and with longer hair than Adam remembered, but it was Dean. He was handcuffed and tied to a chair in the center of what Adam vaguely recognized as a devil's trap, and wincing at the droplets of water just thrown on his face. His black eyes and his look of murder at his brother gave Adam chills, and for a millisecond he thought he saw Dean's eyes flick to him, but given that the doors to the cell closed a millisecond later he was forced to conclude that he had imagined it. Shakily, Adam took a few tentative steps forward into the closet. When nothing happened he made his way over to the back wall and listened.

"Dean, somebody followed me here. Did you send for someone to rescue you?"

"Holy crap, Sam, no! The last thing I want is help from Crowley, and even if I did, how would I do it, huh?"

"Crowley managed. He was in the exact situation you are now." Sam quipped.

"Well last I checked I didn't bite you. And Crowley's rescue force didn't really work out now, did it." Sam and Dean glared angrily at each other for another moment before Sam straightened up and rubbed his chin angrily.

At last, Sam dropped his glare and sighed. "I hate demons." he said mournfully.

"I've got a hell lot more running through me than demon juice."

With his ear pressed against the secret door, Adam listened to his brothers' conversation eagerly. Sam suspected him. That was bad. Dean was, however, chained up, and that was good. And it sounded like Sam was injecting Dean with... did he just say blood? As he listened, Adam eyed a stack of crates against a side wall. That would be the perfect hiding spot once Sam decided to come out. Hopefully he would be too emotionally compromised to notice Adam because... damn. Dean was saying some harsh things. And they just brought up John and no, that was not okay. Adam clenched his fists. Thinking about his father, and all the issues and complexities that came with it, would not be good. Not when he was this unstable. Adam needed to finish his mission. The patter of footsteps made him dive behind a pile of crates, but not before catching one more anger riddled exchange.

"Is this you maning up?" Dean sniggered.

"This is me pulling your lame ass out of the fire."

The wall parted and Sam stormed out, walked right past Adam and out of the closet. Just before the door shut Adam saw Sam reach for his phone, presumably to call Cas. Adam waited in the dark unmoving for one second. Two seconds passed, then three, then four, and he let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Then, a voice came from the darkness, dripping with malice.

"Kid? You gonna stay there all day?" Adam froze, halfway to standing. He knew that voice, had only just listened to it, but it is one thing to hear a twisted soul talk and then have it talk to _you. _It sounded too much like a particular archangel. "Come out, come out..." Dean taunted, and Adam's feet moved of their own accord he stood and walked slowly over to the entrance to the secret room. There before him was a face he had not confronted in hundreds of years.

"Dean." Adam croaked, at a loss for any other words. Dean raised his head.

"I'll be damned. Again." His eyes flashed black before returning to normal. "It really is you. I caught a glimpse, when you saw me all trussed up, but I couldn't be sure. Sorry for the mess." With what little mobility Dean had he gestured to his cuffs and the blood and water on the floor. "It's been one hell of a family reunion."

"That's one way to put it." Adam said shakily. Adam flinched at the fear in his voice and Dean grinned maliciously.

"So," Dean said _way to _causally, "What brings you to Lebanon? Or, more importantly, what brought you out of hell?"

"Crowley." Adam said simply, the handcuffs in his pocket suddenly feeling very heavy.

"Crowley." Dean whistled. "Didn't know he had that kind of juice. Makes sense, though, considering he's the reason behind this." Dean gestured at himself pompously, the horrible grin never leaving his face. "Listen, Adam," he continued in a more serious but no less mocking tone, "Why don't you tell me why you're here? See, normally I'd torture you till you'd stammer it out, but I'm a little tied up."

"I- I-"

"Wow! I didn't even have to torture you!" Adam glared but there was more fear behind it than heat. He took a deep breath before continuing. He had to remind himself that Dean was in a devil's trap. He couldn't hurt Adam.

"I'm supposed to bring you to Crowley." Adam said. He swallowed in anticipation as Dean's grin fell. He looked disbelieving, but then he broke out into a harsh laugh. The hairs on the back of Adam's neck stood up at the sound of it.

"You're kidding!" Dean roared. "They send you," a pointed glare looked Adam up and down, "to capture me and drag me to hell. A scrawny, traumatic head case who wasn't even mourned by his own brothers. I mean I knew Crowley couldn't take a hint but come on!"

"Well when you say it like that I guess it doesn't make a lot of sense." Adam said, a little more strongly. He recognized that Dean was just trying to unnerve him, and it was working. Two could play at this game. "I mean, why go get you when you're here, trussed up like a christmas turkey. I mean it sounds personal. It's not like you were his boyfriend or anything." Anger flashed in Dean's eyes.

"No, I wasn't."

"Oh, so you were his bitch, then!" Dean's eyes flashed black, and Adam probably should have taken that as a warning. He probably should have shut up then and there, thinking about how soon Sam might be back. But damn it, Dean had let Adam rot in hell. Damn him if he wasn't going to get a little upset. "I see how it is! He raises you to be his little plaything, expects you to be all grateful, and with your usual megalomania you decide that coming back from the dead wasn't good enough! You decide to go out and have your own little murder spree. Well that worked out so great for you, huh. Now you're being put down by a 'scrawny 19-year old boy'. And by the way, I'm actually 24." Adam sneered at his brother. Dean looked annoyed and angry, but then he smiled.

"Kid, in a couple weeks whatever crap emotions are holding your mind together are going to break, and then you'll be catatonic. You don't have Sam's nice little wall to keep yourself together. Speaking of which, do you know how Sam got out of the cage?" Adam didn't. He couldn't help himself. He leaned forward intently as Dean continued. "I got him out. I struck a deal with Death. The horseman. I met him during the apocalypse. He tested me and I failed, but he pitied me. He told me I could get one soul out. Yours or Sam's. I chose Sam the moment he finished his sentence. I didn't hesitate even for a split second. My mind was already made up. And you know what? I think that moment, four years ago, was the last time either of us ever thought about you."

"Liar!" Adam whispered, in shock. He couldn't help it. With Deans words and his mind games, it was too much. Michael and Lucifer were pounding at the doors, demanding to be let in. Nevertheless, he stayed rooted to the spot as Dean continued.

"It was a mistake. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have saved either of you. See Sam," he grimaced, "Sam's been injecting me with human blood, trying to 'purify' me. Like I'm sick." Contempt and disgust dripped off of Dean's words. "What Sam doesn't know is that it's working. Well, kind of. Enough to do this." With a devilish grin Dean snapped his right handcuff off of his wrist, sending it flying into the air. Adam flinched as it landed with a sharp _clang! _at his feet. Dean's grin widened as he snapped off the other one. It, too, landed at Adam's feet. "Those are about as useful as the ones in your pocket."

Dean groaned as he stood up, stretching out the muscles in his arms and twisting his back side to side. Adam was suddenly aware of how tall he was, and how menacing. _Holy crap. He's going to kill me! _

"You know, Adam, I pity you, and you'll be no fun once you're dead. Anyways, it's Sam I'll have to get past to get out of here. Why don't I give you a 10 second head start?"

Adam wasted no time. Turning on his heel, he raced out of the dungeon, past the closet, down an intricate path of twists and turns, breath panting and chest heaving. Behind him, Dean swaggered along in the opposite direction, walking like he owned the place. Which, Adam supposed, he did.

**A/N **

**Hey guys! Happy Holidays! Thanks so much for reading, please review, and make sure to check out my crossover, mentioned earlier. My next chapter will most likely not be posted tomorrow, because I want to wait until I have a few more written to avoid long gaps of time. It will, however, be posted in the next few days. What do you guys think of Dean and Adam's epic confrontation? Let me know! As always, enjoy.**


	4. Soul Survivors

**Hey guys! I decided to put my author's notes at the beginnings so I don't intrude upon the endings. Sorry this chapter is so short, but it's action packed. It's a direct tag to Soul Survivor, (as you can probably figure out from the title,) but after this, the pot diverges. I'll update again tomorrow, because this chapter is so short, but after that it might be a day or so because I need to write more. Thanks so much for the review and support, make sure to check out my teen wolf crossover "Blood on my Name," and as always, enjoy!**

Ch. 4

Soul Survivors

Adam heard things as he ran. Shouting, mainly coming from Dean, but with the occasional reply from Sam. He couldn't focus on the words, he was mainly focused on running, to where he had no idea, and how he would survive he also had no idea. Adam knew, however, that he had to find Sam before Dean did. Not just for Sam's sake, but for his. His fevered brain kicked into survival gear. He needed a weapon. Now. He had ditched the handcuffs- the clattering in his pocket had slowed him down, and, as Dean pointed out, they were now useless- and was relying solely on hs hearing. It didn't help that the place echoed. He had only the faintest idea where Sam and Dean were in this labyrinth, and where they were in reference to each other.

After who knows how long, Adam stumbled back into the control room. Tripping over his own feet in haste, he fumbled with a drawer in a nearby table, hoping to find something, anything to help him. Car keys, a gun... aha! In the drawer side by side were two hammers. Adam picked one up and tested the weight in his hand. _Good enough. This should do alright. _He had begun to have hope again when the lights shut off and and alarm blared. Then the lights came back on, flashing red. _This must be Sam's idea of keeping Dean contained in the bunker. Oh boy, Dean is NOT going to be happy! _And indeed Adam heard the angry roar of his demonic brother. Panicking on how close to the control room it sounded, Adam gulped, before picking a random hallway and heading on his way.

Heading through empty tunnels alone, in red flashing lights, waiting to be on the receiving end of fratricide, was really starting to mess with Adam's brain. His composure was slipping, the hand holding his hammer shaking. The boards in the back of his mind were splintering, and he was beginning to see glimpses of terrible things. When the lights had finally come back on, it was a relief. The semi-darkness and constant noise felt a little too much like downstairs, but that relief was short lived. Adam could hear his brothers shouting again, but with the echos and his pounding headache, it was impossible to gauge their distance. Therefore it was a complete surprise when Adam whirled around a corner and found himself facing Sam's back. Adam clamped a hand over his own mouth to stop a surprised yelp that threatened to escape, but luckily Sam hadn't noticed him. He was too preoccupied with Dean smashing a door to bits before his very eyes. On close observation, it could be seen that Dean was smashing said door with a familiar-looking hammer. Adam in his mind's eye pictured the drawer in the control room. The door he had failed to close completely. Dean had the other hammer. Dean was using it to smash down a door. Dean was going to kill them.

A sizable hole was in the door, enough for Dean to have visibility of both his brothers. "You act like I want to be cured!" he shouted at Sam, but his eyes were looking at Adam. "Personally, I like the disease." _Run. _His eyes seemed to say. _I'm going to kill Sammy. And then I'm going to kill you. _

It wasn't a warning. It was a hunter glorifying in the chase.

For the first time in his life Adam listened to Dean without question. He turned and bolted, the pattering of his feet noiseless against a cacophony of splintering wood. By the time Sam ran as well, Adam was long gone in some distant hallway, panting for breath, and cursing whoever had created the monster that was Dean Winchester.

"C'mon, Sammy! Let's have a beer, talk about this!" It had only been minutes and Dean was egging his brother on again. Adam couldn't tell from where, only that the voice was behind him and that was bad. In front of him, Adam saw Sam, crouched around a corner, hoping to catch sight of his brother. Sam had ran past Adam's hideout hallway only a minute previously, and Adam, lacking better judgement, had followed him. He crept up behind Sam, not sure if he would attack him or knock him out or beg him for help. Sam, in his observance, was oblivious, and Adam had time to contemplate the phenomena of his existence. He looked just like Lucifer- even after Sam left the cage Lucifer had occasionally used his visage- and yet in so many ways wasn't. It was fascinating really. Then the sole of Adam's shoe squeaked on the tiled floor, and Sam whirled around in alarm, blinking in surprise at what was surely the last thing he expected to see; Adam Milligan, in all his glory, with a hammer raised threateningly.

"Adam?" Sam said, half a question, half a shout of surprise. He looked accusing and confused, but it slowly gave way to mild surprise and sympathy. He reached out to grasp his shoulder but Adam jumped back in alarm. It was too much- Hell and Crowley and Dean and now his brother looking exactly like the Devil and oh god the fear of being killed and going crazy and what's Sam going to do to him and forget that what's _Dean _going to do to him and the hammer! It was too much, so Adam swung his hammer harshly at Lucifer's exposed head.

It took a half-second for Adam to regain control of his mind, but by then it was too late. Sam, to his credit, easily dodged Adam's blow, and looked only mildly alarmed Then, suddenly, he looked a great deal more alarmed.

'That's enough!" said a gruff voice behind Adam, and he had only a moment to register the hands around his arms before he was pitched violently backwards, ending up in a heap along the opposite wall. Sam squawked in alarm at the sickening _crunch! _Adam had made upon impact, but instead of helping him stood transfixed in horror. Pain coursed through Adam's system, primarily a sharp pain in his head and upper back, where he had hit the wall. It took all his strength to open his left eye- his right eye being pressed against the ground- and he saw from an askew angle as Dean walked over from where he had thrown Adam to where said boy lay pathetically on the ground. He squatted down to be level with him. "Listen, kid, if anyone gets to kill my brother, it's going to be me. Understand?" Dean shot him with a look so sharp, Adam felt compelled to nod in response, despite the now searing pain in his forehead. Then, in a movement so terrifyingly quick and catlike, Dean raised himself from the ground, ran to his brother, and swung _his _hammer at his head. This time, Sam was forced to duck, and that was all Adam saw before he blacked out.


	5. Interrogation Tactics

**A/N **

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading and or the reviews! As always, make sure to check out my teen wolf crossover "blood on my name", and enjoy!**

Ch. 5

Interrogation Tactics

"Well, you look worried fellas." Dean said, surprisingly nonchalant for, from his perspective, coming back from the dead handcuffed to a chair in their secret bunker with his angel friend glaring menacingly, his brother splashing holy water in his face and his other long-dead brother sprawled in a corner slowly regaining consciousness. Sam had moved Adam from the hallway into a corner of the dungeon, and as he was straightening up Sam was heading to undo the cuffs on Dean's hands.

"Dean..." Sam said cautiously, approaching his brother slowly with his arms raised, "What do you remember?"

"Enough." Dean said bluntly. Sam shot him a look and Dean sighed. "Enough to know that you should leave the cuffs on, Sammy." Sam chuckled.

"Not gonna happen. You're back. I trust you. You should get some rest." Dean looked agitated and fidgeted a little in his chair but made no resistance as Sam undid the cuffs. Dean rubbed his wrists almost instinctively before getting up and strolling out the door. He didn't so much as look at Adam.

Sam, however, walked over to where the boy was getting to his feet. "C'mon, get up." he said, yanking Adam up by the shoulder a little less-than-gently. Adam was given no warning as he was shoved down into the chair, it's previous occupant's restraints now his own. The next thing he knew Adam was getting a splash full of holy water in the face.

"Dude! What the hell!" Adam said angrily as he spat out the water in his mouth.

"I should be asking that, don't you think!" Sam retorted. You're not a demon, so who are you and what do you want?" He was nearly shouting, his hands almost shaking with unexpected anger.

Castiel intervened.

"Sam," he began warily, "with all due respect, you just cured your brother whom you've been hunting down for months. You're clearly exhausted. Perhaps you should rest and deal with your aggression before you interrogate him."

Sam ignored him.

"Who are you? Why do you look like my brother? Why come here?" Sam asked.

"I came here to kill Dean Winchester." Adam spat back with as much sass as he could muster. It hurt him to think that Sam trusted what was an hour ago a killing machine over a brother that was 100% human. Then again he did just get raised from the damned. Perhaps it was best to be cautious.

"I know that." Sam snarled. "I found these-" he threw down Adam's pair of demon cuffs- "on the floor of the bunker, which is odd because they won't kill him. The question is why. Who are you working for?"

"Crowley." This stopped Sam dead in his tracks. He scoffed.

"Glad to know Crowley holds a grudge. Did he want him dead or alive?"

"I don't think he really cared."

"And he trussed you up to look like Adam because... sentiment? Did he think a little family time would get through to Dean?" Sam said with a smirk.

"You know, Sam, I don't appreciate your patronizing tone. Crowley didn't dress me up. I am Adam." Sam laughed mirthlessly. The sound sent a wave of rage simmering through Adam.

"Last I checked," Sam said, "my brother was in hell. In the cage. He has been since 2010."

"I've noticed. And what exactly did you do to get him out, again?" Adam asked. Sam stiffened and suddenly looked very, very furious. Adam threw him a bitchface.

"You shut your mouth." Sam said, his voice dropping threateningly low. "Don't you ever presume to know anything about my family."

"Sam," Adam said condescendingly, leaning forward as much as he could in cuffs, "I don't _want _to know your family. Want to know why?" Sam shook his head curtly. Adam grinned. "It's because 'you're no longer a part of this story'."

Sam froze, every inch of him still except for his eyes, which were running back and forth furiously, trying to place where he had heard that phrase before, that voice speaking it. Adam watched intently for the exact moment the pain and guilt would be present in Sam's eyes. _There. _That flash of recognition. That spark of disbelief. That piercing look of loss. The dilation of his eyes as he remembered falling down, down, down... But he hadn't been alone.

"_Fool!" Michael spat as he marched over to where Dean had smugly exited his car. "You have no right to be here! You're no longer a part of this story!" _

"_Adam, if you're in there, I'm sorry." _

"_Adam isn't home right now." _

Seven people had witnessed this event. One was dead. Two were angels locked in hell. One was an angel slowly dying. One was Sam. One was Dean. Which means the snarky kid sitting in front of him had to be...

"Adam." Sam breathed. His face dropped from aggression to kindness as he stooped to release Adam from his handcuffs.

"Sam." Castiel spoke forcefully. "I wouldn't do that. Adam is very... unstable."

"He's right." Adam rasped, suddenly very weak. "I worked for Crowley because he told me he could help me get rid of my memories of the cage. In hell, they didn't bother me, but up here? I'm barely holding it together. I swung that hammer at you because for a split second I thought you were Lucifer." This, not Castiel's words, stalled Sam. Castiel, sensing turmoil, left the room, presumably to talk to Dean.

"Adam, he didn't always look like me." Sam said. Adam scoffed.

"You remember, then. How are you not ten kinds of insanity?"

"I had... help." Sam admitted reluctantly.

"Well get it for me!" Adam yelled desperately. He could feel his resolve crumbling. He had failed. Crowley would not help him. Cas didn't trust him, neither did recently cured Dean. Sam was his last hope.

"I can't!" Sam roared. "It almost killed me. It almost killed Cas. It drove him insane!"

"He seems alright to me." Adam replied bitterly.

"He had to die to get better. Man, Adam, you've missed a lot." Sam laughed, but stopped when he saw the tears rolling down Adam's face.

"I'm sorry." Adam said quietly. "I would never ask Castiel to do that for me. Even though he scorched me alive that one time." Sam chuckled weakly. "It's just- I heard things. I know about your hallucinations. I know what's coming for me, and it's all my fault."

"Adam," Sam whispered. "How is this all your fault? I'm the one who left you behind in Van Nuys. I'm the one who said yes to Lucifer. I'm the one who pulled Michael with me down to hell, not caring that you were there too."

"I said yes to Michael." Adam paused. "And it wasn't Michael who grabbed for you, Sam, it was me."

"What?" Sam was slack-jawed, dumbfounded. Adam's voice crescendoed to a shout.

"IT WAS ME! I grabbed you! I tried to stop you from going into hell! You, Sam, not Lucifer. I took control, briefly, after getting scorched because Michael was off guard. You think it was _him? _You think he cared enough about his brother to risk himself? He begged me not to do it! He said continuing the fight wasn't worth being dragged down! I told him he was wrong. I told him you wouldn't. I told him I could stop Lucifer and save you. I was wrong." Adam was shaking now, emotion coursing through his wracked brain. He had never told anyone this, not even admitting it to himself, that he had risked his life to save Sam and failed. He didn't know why he had done it, he barely knew the guy. But familial sacrifice was the Winchester way to go out, wasn't it.

"Adam, I'm sorry."

"Screw you." Adam said, crying silently, because why not waste the rest of his dignity. After his big confession, all Sam could do was say sorry? Sam undid the cuffs on Adam's wrists, much to Adam's protests of instability. With his brain on fire and eyes blurring he could make out Sam searching cupboards in the dungeon and grabbing a bowl and some shady-looking ingredients. Adam's eyes widened as Sam grabbed a nearby knife and cut his hand over the bowl, chanting in Latin. Clearly he had done this several times. When he was finished, Sam pulled Adam to his feet so they were standing, facing the chair in the devil's trap.

"Now what?" Adam asked tentatively.

"Now we wait." Then suddenly, a very familiar voice came from behind them.

"Hello, Boys." Both brothers whirled around.

"Crowley." Sam said curtly. The demon smiled.

"Hello Adam. Did you have a good time on that mission I sent you on? I see that you've failed." His eyes landed on Sam's protective hold on him and his various injuries. "Miserably."

"This is your fault you son of a bitch." Sam said furiously. "You sent Adam on a suicide mission!"

"It was either that or stay in hell! Which would you choose?" Crowley said defensively. "Never mind, you'd choose one should have, too. He was making quite a wave with the other demons." Sam looked confused.

"You were out of the cage?" Adam nodded weakly. Sam sighed. "We will talk about this later. But _you"_-he pointed at Crowley- "you are going to fix him!" Crowley laughed.

"Am I, now? What makes you think I can do that, moose?"

"Abbadon's dead, which makes you the most powerful demon. You can." Crowley smiled.

"True. But why should I? We had a very fair deal, him and me, and he didn't deliver. Under contract I'm obligated to do nothing of the sort." Crowley said with a mischievous grin.

"Dean's cured! Surely that's got to count for some type of petty revenge!" Sam said desperately. Crowley was about to reply when Castiel stormed in with Hannah at his side.

"Crowley! Help to boy or I will smite you!" Crowley grimaced.

"With the grace I gave you? The audacity of you lot, I swear!" Castile looked solemn.

"Very well. Hannah will smite you. She is under no affliction. She is a fully powered angel." The grimace on Crowley's face fell. He sighed.

"You are all no fun at all. Moose, feathers, relax. I was just holding out. I'll cure the boy. He's an asset, and I'll need every one I can get if I want to run a bloody kingdom." Without warning he touched his fingers to Adam's forehead, who promptly collapsed. "You. Owe. Me." Crowley spat. Sam glared. Crowley vanished.


	6. Harbinger

**A/N**

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading! I have a nice long chapter for you... and a horrible cliffhanger that won't get resolved until tomorrow. Sorry. I just want to thank all my reviewers for reviewing, and for inspiring me. I wrote chapter 7 yesterday, and I read one of the reviews and it gave me an idea I wasn't going to originally go with, and because I did it turned out better than I could have hoped. So thank you so much! Keep those reviews coming! Also, this is where the canon divergence starts. From here on it's season 10, my way. As always, make sure to check out my teen wolf crossover, "blood on my name," and enjoy!**

Ch. 6

Harbinger

Adam woke up on a bed in an indistinguishable gray room. He panicked for a heartbeat before calming down and realizing he was in the bunker. In Kansas. With Sam and Dean. Who were in his room. In suits. Staring at him. Adam shook his head to clear it. 'His' room? Where had that come from? Why were Sam and Dean here? Shouldn't they have abandoned him by now? After all, they didn't hurry to get him out of hell. Hell... Adam shot bolt upright, startling his brothers, who had been watching him in earnest. He felt the back of his head, where he imagined all of his memories of hell were stored. They weren't there. There was no glaring red burn on his conscious. His memories were... in his memory. He remembered his first day of the cage. He winced. It was a painful memory, but that's all it was. It didn't feel real, more like reliving a memory of a skinned knee, the actual pain trapped in the film of the past.

Sam and Dean rushed to his side. "Hey, Adam, you okay man?" Dean asked, showing genuine concern.

"Yeah" Adam said groggily, his voice hoarse. His muscles ached from lack of use. He stretched his arms and twisted his back as he made to stand up. "How long was I out? And why are you guys in suits?"

Sam laughed lightheartedly and Dean smiled, which made Adam happy for some reason. Both his brothers looked relieved to see him. A first. "We just came from a musical." Sam said. Dean winced, as if the memory horrified him. "As for how long you were out... well..." Sam paused tentatively and looked to Dean. He nodded. "Three weeks."

"WHAT?" Adam exclaimed. Dean and Sam shied away from him. "THREE WEEKS? Why? The last thing I remember is"

"Crowley touching you on the head before you went all psycho on us." Dean finished.

"Well, yeah." Adam lamented, feeling a little embarrassed. He remembered the bunker episode a little too vividly for his liking. He had been a wreck.

"It's fine. After Sammy's soul was raised he was out for the count too."

"What do you mean by his soul? Wasn't all of him raised?"

Dean looked about to reply but a glare from Sam cut him off. "That's ok. we'll get there. Anyway, how do you feel?"

"Fine." Adam said, and it was true. He felt fine. A little hungry and thirsty, that was to be expected, but he also felt _sane. _No longer like his brain was on fire, maddened by mission, blinded by rage. It was the first time since he had been raised that he felt normal, alive.

Dean, however, looked skeptic. "Alright," he said, "I needed an excuse to cook, and you need an excuse to eat, cause let's face it"- he looked Adam up and down- "you are skin and bones. I made John Winchester's kitchen sink cure all stew, so let's go." Dean watched Adam worriedly, looking for signs of pain when mentioning their father, but was relieved to see none. Looks like Adam had gotten over that before he died.

"Alright." Adam said. He swayed a little as he stood, but steadied himself, shaking his head at Sam who had reached out to help him. "Let's go. I'm starving."

The kitchen was a little messy, but Dean made himself right at home among the various pots and pans, humming to himself as he stirred a rather large one on a lit burner. It took all of Adam's strength not to laugh. Dean looked so... domestic. Give him an apron and Sam's long brown hair and he would not be able to tell him apart from Rachael Ray. (Yes, he knew who Rachael Ray was. He had been dead for five years, not five hundred. Well, technically he had been dead for five hundred years too- oh, never mind.) Nevertheless, Adam tried the stew, after he had been forced into a chair and a bowl had been placed in front of him. He put a spoonful into his mouth, bracing for something along the lines of burnt tomato soup, and found it to actually be surprisingly delicious. His surprise must have shown on his face, for Sam chuckled. "You should try the burgers." he said.

From then on, Adam was shoveling the stew down like he hadn't eaten in years. Which, if you didn't count bad roadside food, he hadn't. "So," he said in between mouthfuls, "when am I leaving?" Dean stared at him blankly. Sam looked worried.

"Adam, what do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Well," Adam said, placing his spoon in his now empty bowl, "I mean, I get why you kept me around while I was unconscious, but if memory serves, you don't want me around. You never have. I don't even know you very well. We spent one day together when both Dean and I were on suicide missions, you left me for dead, and the day with my ghoul doesn't count." Sam and Dean looked at each other guiltily. Dean cleared his throat.

"Look, Adam," Dean said tentatively, "we can't just turn you loose. First of all, you're family. Second of all, it's a dangerous place out there, I'm proof of that. Third of all, where would you go? You're legally dead, so are we. We have to stick together, man. We're brothers." Dean finished his speech with a sympathetic stare. Adam stared right back, but it wasn't sympathy.

"Sam, could you leave Dean and me alone for a minute?" Both Winchesters looked surprised, but Sam nonetheless stood up, pushed his chair in, and walked out of the kitchen. Adam watched until he was sure Sam was out of earshot before turning towards Dean. "You have some explaining to do." Dean was suddenly defensive.

"Look, it's been five years, obviously you've missed a lot-"

"That's not what I mean. Dean, how did Sam get out of hell?" Dean choked on the stew he had been eating.

"Um..." Dean stammered. Adam didn't waste time for an answer.

"What do you remember from three weeks ago? And how does that happen anyways? How does a human become a curable demon?" Dean gaped at Adam's bluntness.

"Adam, look, if this is about what I said in the bunker-"

"You do remember, then. Does Sam know? Cause he's acting like nothing happened."

"Sam..." Dean hesitates. "I think Sam knows. Or at least he assumes. We haven't really talked about it."

Adam snorted. "That's healthy. Now answer the question."

"Which one?" Dean spat. "Look, I became a demon because of this, okay?" He rolled up his sleeve to show the angry red brand of the mark of Cain. "I needed it to defeat a super-charged demon named Abaddon last year. I got it from Cain." Dean ignored Adam's look of surprise. "Yes, the Cain-and-Abel Cain. We're like his descendants or whatever. Anyway, he's also a super-charged demon, he gave me the mark, it gave me the power to use the first blade, but also an insane bloodlust. I couldn't control it, it became a huge problem. Anyways, the mark is so powerful that when I died facing off against an angel named Metatron, it brought me back as a demon. The cure Sam used was one we discovered in here," he gestured to the wide expanse of the bunker. "Which was this secret supernatural society that our grandfather, Henry Winchester, was a part of. We're all that's left of it. And Adam? That demon, it wasn't me. It wore my face and it had my memories, but did things I would never do, understand?" Adam, despite receiving all this information, scoffed.

"Is that supposed to be an apology?"

Dean sighed. "I'm sorry. Happy?"

"Dean, is it true, what you said about having to choose between Sam and I?" Adam waited impatiently as Dean sighed deeply before replying.

"Yes."

There was a pause. Adam blinked once, twice, before sighing deeply. "Good to know." he said, feigning nonchalant but failing as a cold bite creeped into his words. "I'll get out of your hair then." Adam got up to leave but a was blocked at the doorway by a towering Sam.

"Look, Adam," Sam said apologetically, "I get that you feel betrayed and angry. Hurt. Confused. Believe me, I get that. But you're not leaving until we know the whole story."

"The kitchen or the bunker?" Adam asked.

"Both." Sam and Dean replied simultaneously. Resigned, Adam sat down again in front of his empty bowl of stew. Sam plopped down across from him, and with Dean at the head of the table, the message was clear: Adam was trapped. They sat there for a moment, in silence.

"So," Adam said, breaking the tension, "what do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"Mom called me at school. She said she was in danger, that it was serious. She sounded so scared over the phone... I dropped everything. I drove from Minneapolis to Windom in record time. I didn't tell anyone where I was going, I didn't say when I'd be back. When I got home, she was there. And she looked fine. She was with this guy, Joe Barton. He was a bartender, I think, but he used to be a cop. He pulled me over once when I first got my license. I was confused. I asked what the hell was going on, and Joe went and locked the door. My mom came up to me and hugged me, but something wasn't right. She whispered in my ear..." Adam paused, looking utterly terrified at the memory. "She said, 'Your Mom's been dead for two days, sweetie.' I remember thinking that that was impossible. She had only called me that morning. Then my head hurt, so hard I passed out. Joe must have come up and hit me. I came to, I don't know how long later, but it was dark out. I was tied to the kitchen table. And Joe and Mom, they were circling me like-" Adam shuddered "-like I was a piece of meat. Then without warning they slashed my wrists, and then they were _drinking my blood! _They told me they were ghouls, that they were taking revenge because my father had killed their father. I told them they were mistaken. I didn't know my father very well. They laughed. And laughed." Adam shut his eyes. "And laughed and laughed and laughed, and I'll spare you the details, but the last thing I saw in between the screaming was Joe Barton starting to look a little bit like me." Adam looked at the floor, shaking. Sam and Dean looked at him guiltily.

"Adam," Sam began, "If we had known we had a brother-" Adam cut him off viciously.

"Well, you didn't. We've been down this road before."

"Alright." Sam said with a sigh. "What do you remember next?" Adam took a breath before continuing.

"I remember Heaven. And the angels. I was at prom, and the next thing I know, Rachel is gone. And I'm standing in my school gym, with music playing and colored lights flashing, in an ill-fitting tux, facing three old guys in suits. They told me I was special, because John was my dad. I said that having him as my dad is what got me killed. They didn't like that too much, and they said that the same thing was true for my brothers. As you can imagine, I was a little confused. They said I had brothers who were in heaven right now, too."

Sam and Dean looked at each other.

"This must have been when we ran into Walt and Troy." Dean muttered. Sam nodded, and gestured for Adam to continue.

"They showed me you guys. I don't know how. But they showed me you guys in an empty field, running. Then you saw Zachariah who was in front of me, cloaking me or whatever, and you bolted. Then a guy with a superhero costume appeared, and then you were gone. Zachariah said that you were my half brothers. He said you would suffer, but eventually be returned to Earth. He offered for me to join you. What the Hell was I going to do but accept?" Sam nodded.

"You showed up fifteen days after we came back. If Heaven and Hell run on the same clock then that could have been hours after we left before you made that decision." Sam stated. Adam nodded.

"They did kind of need to explain how I wasn't supposed to trust you. And obviously, it worked. Until I was in a white and gold room." Dean nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yeah," Dean said, "they took me there when I still thought they were trying to save the world. Back when I thought I was the key to stopping the apocalypse, not Michael's vessel."

"They had burgers and beer." Adam said, smiling weakly. Dean started, looking surprised. Sam looked amused.

"Hey, Dean," Sam said to his brother,"isn't that the same thing they gave-"

"Yes, Sam. Shut up."

Adam watched the conversation with interest. "Anyways, I was locked in, and I was freaking out, and I thought I was going to get scorched alive. Then Michael, I don't know how, he spoke to me through the deafening noise. He said I could either say yes, or die. Again. So I did. And I don't know how, but he kept me in the dark after that. It was like I was sleeping. When I came to, it was in Stull Cemetery. You know what happens next. I took control, I grabbed for Sam, I fell." Adam finished. He looked at the ground for a beat before glancing at his brothers. They were staring at him with the usual suspects. Anger. Guilt. Regret. He was getting sick of it.

"How'd you get out of Hell, Adam? What do you remember?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, and while you're at it, what'd Crowley do to your head?" Dean added.

"I already told you how I got out-" Adam began before Sam interrupted him.

"No, you told us how you talked to Crowley But to do that, you would have needed to be out of the cage."

"Ok. Well, I was only in regular hell for like a week, from my perspective. As for the memories, I still have them. They're painful to remember, but I guess Crowley did something, like take the edge off to allow them to be processed like normal memories. I can choose to look back, and I know it won't drive me crazy. How I got out... I remember Lucifer and Michael were fighting each other, and leaving me alone for once. I was just looking around the cage, when I saw something I had never seen before. The cage was cylindrical, the walls were empty, so this stood out a lot. It was a door. I ran over to it unnoticed, and then I just kind of said 'screw it' and went through it. I found myself in Crowley's throne room and just went on from there. I explored a little bit, but I never went too far. It's a good thing, too, or else I wouldn't have heard the announcement." Adam finished and looked at Sam and Dean, who looked very, very worried.

"Adam," Dean said cautiously, "you know that that doesn't make sense, right?"

"Why not?" Adam asked.

"You saw a door that the archangels never noticed." Sam said evenly. "You saw a door out of the cage. That's impossible."

"Are you saying that it was a trick? That I'm still there?" Adam asked. Panic was creeping into his voice. Of course that's what it was. It was foolish for Adam to believe that he was out, that he was away. Hope had just begun crumbling around him by the time Sam spoke.

"No." Sam said firmly. "You're out. You're here. This is real. But..." Sam paused, and Adam began to feel better with his reassurances. But what Sam said next drained the life out of his face.

"If you're out, it's because they wanted you out."


	7. Heaven and Hell

**A/N **

**Alright, guys, this chapter is kind of small, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I definitely like where the plot is going, but I might not have done it justice... Oh well. If you're confused, everything will be explained several different times. If you understand it, then I'm once again sorry for the cliffhanger. I'll let you guys be the judge of this chapter, and as always I'll update tomorrow. Thanks so much for the reviews! I can't believe how supportive you guys have been! This chapter would have been horribly different if I didn't have your guys' ideas. Enjoy!**

Ch. 7

Heaven and Hell

"Adam? Breathe." Dean said, holding up a paper bag. Adam grabbed for it eagerly, and before long the kitchen was full of rattling breaths. No one had seen the panic attack coming, but then again no one had been particularly surprised. A moment passed, and then two, and then a few more, until finally Adam was breathing normally. He tossed aside his paper bag with disdain.

"Look, we don't know why you're back." Sam said quietly. "But we'll figure it out."

"Adam got out of the cage while I was a demon. That can't be a coincidence." Dean postulated.

"You said they were fighting when they got out." Sam said to Adam. He nodded. "What were they fighting about?"

"I don't know." Adam mumbled.

"'The righteous man who begins it is the only one who can end it.'" A feminine voice said from behind Adam. Startled, the Winchester brothers whirled around to find Cas and Hannah in the doorway.

"Cas!" Dean exclaimed, rushing over to his friend. "Hey!"

"Hello, Dean." Castiel said, giving Dean a hug. "I would have called, but I wasn't aware we would be stopping by."

"Sam." Hannah said simply, sitting down at the kitchen table across from him. "Adam." Adam and Sam replied with a curt nod. Dean and Cas sat down, and soon the table was full with the five of them.

"So, what brings you guys by?" Dean asked. He went over to the fridge and took out two beers. One of them he gave to Sam.

"Adam prayed to me." Hannah stated. Sam and Dean turned sharply to their brother.

"No I didn't." Adam said, confused.

"Yes you did." Hannah insisted. "Well, not to me, per se. But I clearly heard you say "_if any of those damn angles know anything, now would be a great time to show it." _

"Oh." Adam said, blinking a few times. "I didn't know that would actually work."

"Like, I said, you've missed a lot." Sam said with a laugh. He clapped Adam on the back sympathetically.

"It's the heavenly NSA." Adam muttered. Sam and Dean looked at each other confusedly.

"How do you know about that?" Dean asked.

"What? Oh! When I was out of the cage. The leak was organized by a few demons." Adam said matter-of-factly.

"Of course it was." Dean muttered. Then, to Hannah, "what do you know?"

Instead of answering Dean, Hannah turned and spoke to Adam. "It is remarkable how clearly you are able to remember Hell." she mused. "I trust Crowley followed through with his word?" Adam nodded. "What about you, Dean?" Hannah said to him, her sharp gray eyes piercing him inquisitively. "What do you remember about being risen from hell?"

"A flash." Dean said surprised at the question. "And then I was in my coffin."

"Yes, that sounds like Castiel." Hannah murmured. "What you don't remember is the battle. Why would you? The armies of Heaven and Hell clashing are a terrible thing to witness. I was there, along with Castiel and Hester and several other angels. I wasn't part of the garrison. I was... what you call curious. About Hell. About the horrors my father wished to hide from us." Dean nodded, not really sure where she was going with this. "Castiel does not remember my presence." Hannah continued, nodding to where he and Sam were engrossed in conversation a few feet away. "He was too preoccupied with the task of getting to you. After he succeeded, some of us remained behind to interrogate some demons who remained. They were not helpful. Most had gone mad seeing what they had in battle. But one that I came across..." She shuddered at the memory. "He babbled. Constantly. Always about the righteous man. 'The righteous man who begins it is the only one who can end it.'"

"Cas said that to me." Dean interjected. "When I was ready to give up. It turned out not to be true."

"Castiel heard that from his superiors." Hannah clarified. "Who heard it from me. Do you see now?"

"No." Dean and Adam said simultaneously.

"The demons knew the angels wanted the apocalypse to happen." Hannah explained patiently. "The angels knew the demons knew. Both sides, while not working together, had the same goal. The prizefight, the showdown. Michael versus Lucifer. Dean verses Sam. Each side confident in their victory. Dean began it, and he would end it. By defeating his brother, like the angels hoped, or failing him."

"Winning the fight or the Croatoan endgame. But that didn't happen!" Dean said angrily. Hannah jumped back at the sudden display of emotion. "We ripped out the pages! Destroyed the ending!" Meanwhile, next to him, Adam began thinking.

"_The righteous man who begins it is the only one who can end it." _he whispered.

"You understand, don't you." Hannah whispered. Adam nodded.

"You failed the wrong brother." Adam said to Dean. "When you left me behind in Van Nuys. Only you didn't mean to fail me at all. I failed Sam, when I couldn't pull him back from the pit, but I'm not the righteous man. You are. And you ended it by getting through to Sam. You changed your fate. Instead of failing or defeating your brother, you helped him. But four months ago, you were a demon. You were no longer the righteous man. Dean," Adam gulped. "You didn't end anything. It isn't over."


	8. Adam Broke the World

**A/N **

**Hey guys! Thanks for reading! As always please remember to review. Thanks to all my reviewers, and enjoy!**

Ch. 8

Adam Broke the World

"The apocalypse." Sam said, dumbfounded. "The APOCALYPSE? That nightmare we stopped five years ago. That's back on?"

"It was never off." Dean grumbled.

"Merely postponed." Hannah said with agreement.

"But we ended it!" Sam said.

"You did, not Dean." Hannah replied patiently.

"I don't understand!" Sam yelled angrily.

"No." Hannah sighed. "I'm not sure I do, either, at least not entirely. But I do know that I am correct."

"What does this have to do with Dean becoming a demon?" Cas asked quietly. He, like Hannah, was inexplicably calm. Nothing like the Winchesters, who were shaking with anger.

"I only speculate." Hannah admitted. "I do know of Adam's return. He is but a harbinger, a signal of the impending doom. Michael and Lucifer let Adam out of the cage as a message."

"They can do that?" Adam asked, also surprisingly calm considering that he was brought back just in time for the reboot of the end of the world.

"You're not an archangel." Cas replied. "The cage wasn't meant to hold you. So yes, theoretically they could do that."

"When did you realize this?" Dean asked Hannah. "About Adam?"

"Moments ago. It is what I would have done." she said.

"This just doesn't make sense!" Sam snapped. "So, what? All that talk about escaping our destiny? That was a load of crap?"

"No, Sam!" Hannah said sternly, raising her voice for the first time. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing. "I think it was over." Hannah said at a regular volume. "In a way, Dean did end it. He enabled Sam to take control over Lucifer. It wasn't the choice either the angels or demons foresaw, but it was a choice. Not perfect, but possible."

"Then why-" Dean interrupted.

"Not perfect, Dean. It was enough to throw away destiny. You were set on your own path and you still are. But it wasn't a perfect ending. And I think you becoming a demon undid that ending."

"Why?" Dean asked quietly, guilt clawing at his sides.

"The apocalypse began when a righteous man shed blood in hell. What if that righteous man was no longer righteous at all?"

"Is that what happened?" Sam asked.

"I don't know." Hannah said, exasperation creeping into her voice.

"This is my fault!" Adam lamented. "If I hadn't said yes to Michael-"

"Things would have been worse." Cas said reassuringly. "The prizefight would have happened. Adam, your actions probably saved the world."

"Temporarily." Adam said with a sigh. "Now it's broken again."

"When will Michael and Lucifer come out of the cage?" Dean asked.

"I don't know." Hannah repeated. "Don't you see? No one knows! You are still writing your own story. We just need to adjust the plot."

"'We?'" Adam asked.

"Well of course. I'll be helping you." Hannah stated. "And Castiel."

"Alright." Sam said, regaining his senses. "Good. We'll need all the help we can get."

"Sam," Dean said, "we can't really do anything. Not until we figure out how Michael and Lucifer are planning on getting out of the cage."

"And nothing will happen until they do." Cas added.

"So we have time?" Adam asked.

"A finite amount. Let's assume it's not a lot." Hannah replied.

"Alright." Dean said to Sam. "Call everybody. Garth, Jody, anybody you can think of."

"You mean everybody who's still alive." Sam said with grin.

"Well, yeah." Sam left to make the call. Adam whistled.

"You guys move fast." he commented.

"Well, we've done this before. We can do it again." Dean said with an easy grin.

"You do realize that that translates to 'we've prevented the apocalypse, we can do it again,' right?" Adam said incredulously.

Dean laughed, Cas chuckled, and even Hannah showed a weak smile. "Well, yeah." Dean said. "Why not?"

"Alright, Jody and Alex will be here in three hours, Garth in four." Sam said as he returned to the crowded kitchen.

"Is Garth okay to leave his family?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam said, but he still looked guilty.

"What about Charlie?" Dean asked.

"As far as I know, she's still in Oz." Sam said with a sigh. Adam's eyes widened.

"Did you say Oz?" he asked. Dean sighed.

"Never mind, we'll get there." he said with a wave of his hand. "How much do you know, anyways?"

"Well, I had a week in hell." Adam said. "I made friends with some friendlier demons. Well, not actual friends, but you know." Dean nodded. Hannah and Cas leaned forward, interested. "One of the demons in there was kind of obsessed with you guys. She had copies of Carver Edlunds' books, courtesy of Crowley." Dean's eyes widened to the size of saucers. He looked horrified. Sam cringed. "I read the ones with me in them. Very tear jerking. The demon kind of filled me in on the rest, at least, the basics, including post apocalypse." Sam, Dean, Cas and Hannah all nodded thoughtfully. Adam then marched over to where his brothers were standing side by side. Then he smacked Sam lightly upside the head.

"Ow!" Sam exclaimed. "What the hell was that for?"

"Drinking demon blood." Adam replied. Then he hit Dean. "Giving up on Sam." He hit him again. "Having him possessed. Leaving me behind. Taking on the mark of Cain." He hit Sam again. "Not looking for Dean while he was in purgatory." Then, he punched Dean in the stomach. Dean doubled over briefly, then straightened up, groaning. "That's from the demon." Adam said. "She said that that's for letting her die. Okay," he said, standing back and admiring his work. "We're even." He smiled.

Cas and Hannah covered their mouths with their hands to prevent laughing.

"Augh!" Dean said, clutching his stomach. "Who the hell did we piss off in hell?"

"Would you like a list?" Adam replied sardonically. "But she said her name was Bela."

"That bitch!" Dean muttered.

"Adam," Sam said, groaning a little bit, "you just find out the apocalypse is starting again and you take out petty revenges?" He laughed.

"From my perspective, it never ended." Adam said seriously. The laugh died off of Sam's face. Dean, too, looked serious.

"I'm going to get some air." Adam muttered, making his way out of the kitchen.

"Adam-" Dean began.

"Dean." Adam said firmly, cutting him off. "I meant what I said. We're even." With that, Adam turned on his heel and walked out.

Adam came back from exploring the bunker to find that Dean, Sam, Cas and Hannah had moved from the cramped kitchen to the long brown table in the control room. Dean sat at the head, a bunch of beer bottles at the ready, while Sam sat to the left and Cas to the right. Hannah was next to Cas, looking around the control room with curiosity.

"Humans are so fascinating." She mumbled. "So many buttons..."

Adam cleared his throat. Dean looked up from his phone.

"Hey!" he said cheerfully, all traces of argument gone from his face. "Come have a seat. We're just waiting for Garth and Jody to show." Adam plopped down beside Sam.

"I thought they were a couple hours out?"

"Well you've been gone for an hour, and they're both making great time. Both should be here in less than 15 minutes." Suddenly, a throat cleared from behind Dean.

"No!" Sam, Adam, Hannah and Cas said at the same time. Dean whirled around.

"Crap!" Dean exclaimed.

Crowley smiled. "Hello, boys!"


	9. Team Free Will

**A/N **

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading! The next chapter will be up tomorrow (next year!) but it'll be up later than usual. Thanks so much for all the reviews, have a great rest of 2014, and enjoy! **

Ch. 9

Team Free Will

"Crowley, what the hell are you doing here?" Dean yelled as he stood up to face the king of hell. "You have a lot of nerve coming back after what you did."

"What I did?" Crowley asked, outraged. "I saved you. If you hadn't become a demon, then you would just be dead. I saved your brother! If it weren't for me he'd be a drooling mess right now! And now you're going up against the devil and you don't invite the most powerful demon in hell who will also do everything in said power to prevent him coming back, and you ask what I'm doing here!"

Everyone stared at Crowley in silence. It stayed that way for a long time.

"Boys, please! Save the fighting for the demons!" A woman's voice rang out from the top of the staircase. Everyone looked up to see a tough looking woman with short brown hair and a teenager with long brown hair.

"Jody!" Sam said happily from his seat. "Right on time!"

"Ah, well, it's a talent." Jody said with a wave of her hand as she and Alex descended the stairs. "Same thing with breaking up fights." Sam stood up as she walked over and they hugged.

"Dean." Jody acknowledged with a nod of her head. Alex did the same.

"Oh, right." Sam said. "Jody, this is Cas, Hannah, Adam, and, uh, well, you know Crowley." Sam said, a bit flustered.

"I do!" Jody said cheerily. "Ready for our second date, _Fergus?_" Alex burst out laughing, while Crowley just looked dumbfounded, his mouth half open and blinking furiously.

Jody's good mood was infectious, even after everyone sat down, Alex next to Adam, Jody next to Hannah, and Crowley very reluctantly next to Jody.

"Uh, hi." Adam said to the very pretty dark haired girl next to him. "I'm Adam." Alex gave him a look that could cut through stone.

"I'm eighteen." she said snobbishly. "I don't date twelve year olds." Adam looked like a kicked puppy, while the humans and demon at the table burst out laughing. Cas and Hannah chuckled lightly, though Hannah didn't really understand what for, and Sam and Dean looked like Christmas had come early.

"Adam," Dean said over the raunchous laughter, "I am taunting you with that for the rest of your life, however short it may be." The color of Adam' face upon hearing this statement could be compared to that of a tomato.

"What's so funny?" Alex asked once the laughter had died down. (Several minutes later.)

"Well, you see sweetheart," Dean began, ignoring Adam's signaling to _stop talking, _"Adam is a 24-year-old trapped in the body of a 19-year-old."

"Oh." Alex said slowly. Then she blushed.

"Hey everybody!" Came a new voice from the stairwell. "What'd I miss?"

"Garth!" Dean yelled. "C'mon down!" Garth descended less than gracefully, and before long was sitting next to Alex.

"I don't think I've met you in person." Garth said to Crowley, directly across from him. "You're Crowley, right? The demon who terrorized my friend Kevin?" Crowley's discomfort level climbed rapidly. It was fitting, though, as he was one of the few members at that table who could, theoretically, vanish should they almost die of embarrassment.

"Alright, everybody, settle down." Dean said a little reluctantly. "Now, we all know why we're here." A solemn mood settled over the gathering.

"I told you over the phone that the judeo-christian apocalypse might be back on the rails. Well, it's true."

"Wait, how'd you find out?" Adam asked Crowley.

Crowley merely scoffed. "Please."

Dean pulled out beer bottles and slid them across the table to Garth, Jody, Sam, and Adam. Adam looked at his, surprised.

"Technically, you're of drinking age." Dean said with a shrug. Then Jody gave him a look, and he slid another one to Alex.

"It's not like she doesn't drink it anyway." Jody grumbled.

"Dean, what's your proof?" Garth asked.

"Our proof is Adam." Dean said, pointing to his youngest brother. "He was trapped in the cage, until Michael and Lucifer let him out. We figure that the only logical reason they would do that is because they're planning on popping out, too."

"Michael and Lucifer coming back triggers the apocalypse?" Alex asked.

"Yeah." Sam said, looking impressed. "How'd you know that?"

"Oh, there's a whole club at her school dedicated to those books." Jody said. "I was going to mention it."

Dean mumbled something that vaguely sounded like "sonofabitchthosebooksareeverywhere."

"But I thought the apocalypse was shut down." Garth added. "Completely." Dean was about to reply, but Cas beat him to it.

"I'm sure you know of how Dean spent his summer?" Everyone nodded, and Dean had the decency to look sheepish. "We think that might have triggered something. The righteous man was the one to start it all, only he can end it. He ended it by getting through to Sam. If that man were to no longer be righteous..."

"The contract's void." Jody finished. Everyone looked at her. "What? I'm a sheriff. I might not be an expert about supernatural law, but I do know what happens when a party backs down on their agreement."

"So it could all be redone." Crowley muttered. "Interesting."

"All of it?" Garth asked incredulously. "All of the seals? Cause, I mean, where are they going to find another Lilith?"

"Not to mention, Sam's not hopped up on demon blood." Jody added.

"And then wouldn't be able to pull the same cell phone tricks they used to drive the brothers apart." Hannah mused.

Sam and Dean looked at eachother, astonished.

"Okay," Dean said slowly, addressing the group. "How many people have read the Supernatural books?" Dean asked tentatively, like he was afraid of the answer. Sure enough, slowley but surely, everyone's hands went up."

"_Really?" _Dean asked. "Even you, Garth?"

"What, man? It's like an encyclopedia of how to kill things. Plus, I wanted to see the descriptions of myself." Garth said shamelessly.

"Hannah?"

"I read at the speed of light." Hannah said. "I wanted to learn everything I possibly could about my opponents." Dean merely blinked in response to that.

"You, too, Cas?"

"Meg gave me them in the 'nuthouse." Cas said, flinching at the memory.

"Well of course she did." Dean said with a sigh.

"Dean, this is good." Sam said, trying very hard not to laugh. "It means we don't have to catch anyone up. I mean, we're about to go through a second apocalypse without Bobby, Rufus, Ellen, or Jo. Anything less than these guys and we'd be screwed."

Dean flinched as a pang of loss went through him.

"Sam's right, Dean." Jody said.

"And you guys are right, about everything." Sam replied. "We have no idea what needs to happen to free Michael and Lucifer, we don't even know who knows."

"I could find out." Crowley offered. "Or at least try. I don't exactly want a coup on my hands."

"Whoever they are, they will be careful." Cas cautioned. "They wouldn't want to make the same mistake twice."

"I can't believe we live in a world where not preventing the apocalypse is the mistake." Alex muttered.

"How did they know?" Adam asked. "I was in the cage. There wasn't exactly CNN. How did they know Dean was a demon?"

"Angles are very receptive." Hannah replied. "Archangels even more so. For such a rare happening as a human to be demonized by the mark of Cain to occur, it throws energy even an archangel in hell could detect."

"What, like a great disturbance in the force?"

"I don't understand that reference." Hannah said.

"Oh, it's-" Cas rushed to explain, but a look from Hannah silenced him.

"Guys!" Sam said, and everyone's hands snapped to him. "I think we're forgetting something. Even if the demons didn't need to break all the other seals, a big if, they would still need to kill Lilith to open the cage. Well, Lilith is already dead."

The table was silent for a moment.

"Maybe the next demon in line?" Garth offered.

"Crowley, do you know who that is?" Sam asked.

"I have a theory. You won't like it. I recommend some research first."

"Alright, tomorrow." Sam decided. "Everyone should get some rest first."

Jody whistled as she took in the sheer number of bookcases in the room. "It's all hands on deck. Is there anything else we can do while everyone is here?"

"No." Dean said with a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "I suppose unpack. There's plenty of rooms for everybody." Then, he stood up and leaned over the table with a hardened resolve in his eyes. "Guys, we can do this."

"I don't doubt it for a second." Crowley said sarcastically. "'Free will and all that."

"Well, you're right, Crowley." Dean said, a smile on his face. "We do call ourselves Team Free Will, after all. Dean smiled at Sam before continuing. "One ex blood junkie, one dropout with six bucks to his name, and Mr. Comatose over there." Dean finished, pointing to Cas.

"Dean, I'm wide awake." Cas said seriously.

"And I think you're forgetting someone." A voice said from behind Dean. He whirled around.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean exclaimed. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"Michigan." Chuck said with a shrug. "I was at the musical. I guess you didn't see me."

"And you're not going to tell us where you've been this whole time?" Dean asked, spreading his arms to represent five long years of absence.

"Nope." Chuck said simply.

"Welcome back, Chuck." Sam said, calm if a little bemused.

"Thanks, Sam." Chuck said. "Now," he said to Dean, gesturing for him to continue. "As you were."

"Fine." Dean said with a sigh. Then, he regained his dramatic flair. "It's us against the apocalypse, guys." he said to the group. Everyone leaned forward eagerly, except for Crowley, who rolled his eyes. "This is it. Team Free Will. One former vampire housemate, one werewolf, one king of hell, one sheriff-turned-hunter, one rogue angel, one archangel cellmate, one ex blood junkie, one dropout with six bucks to his name, Mr. Comatose over there..." Dean paused. "And one conceded author of the worst books ever known to mankind. Awesome."


	10. Murder, He Wrote

**A/N **

******Hey guys! Happy New Year! So this chapter was kind of hard to write, so I'm sorry if it's not very good. I also want to give a heads up that I might not be updating daily anymore, I'll have to see. I hope you guys had a great New Years Eve, and enjoy!** ****

Ch. 10

Murder, He Wrote

"If I see one more book." Jody grumbled the following afternoon, "I will burn down my local library."

"C'mon, Jody, It's not that bad." Dean said reassuringly, from further down the table. Everyone was spread out along the table with a stack of books, save for Crowley who was off running hell, doing research. Chuck, who still refused to say anything along the lines of where he had been, was pouring over his personal notes during the time of the apocalypse, hoping to catch something useful.

"Dean, we've been at this for hours!" Jody complained. "Hundreds of translations of the Book of Revelations! Nothing! Personal accounts of demon sightings dated back hundreds of years! Nothing!"

"Don't worry, Jody, we'll find something." Sam reassured. Just as he said that, a strained voice sounded from the end of the table.

"Guys, I found something."

It was Adam, and he was holding an old, leather bound book which easily blended in with the stack. Everyone rushed over upon hearing his declaration.

"It's a translation of the book of revelations." Adam rushed to explain, tripping over his own words. "At first I thought everything was the same. But then I got to the seals. They were all there, but the last one was different."

"What does it say?" Everyone asked.

"And it is written that the first murder shall be the last seal."

"What the hell does that mean?" Alex asked.

"The first murder." Cas mused. "But that could only mean..." Cas' eyes widened. "Cain."

"No." Crowley said, suddenly behind them. "Not Cain."

"Quit doing that!" Dean yelled. "You're worse than angels!"

"As I was saying," Crowley continued, a little annoyed, "It's not Cain. That would be the first murderer. Think. What could be a visible representation of the first murder?"

"The mark." Sam said quickly.

"And the person bearing the mark is..."

"Dean."

"Why didn't you tell us all this earlier?" Dean asked Crowley when all the books had been put (rather messily) away and everyone had sat back down.

"Would you have believed me?" Crowley asked.

"Would I have believed you than I'm the one who has to die for Michael and Lucifer to get out of the cage? No, probably not." Dean admitted. "Would I have to die as a demon or a human?"

"A demon, I imagine." Crowley supplied. "Or else Adam would have been let out a lot sooner. To be honest, I'm not sure."

"Let's hope we never have to find out." Sam said.

"Sam, let's be realistic here." Dean said with a sigh.

"No, Dean, if you think I'm letting you open the cage-"

"Well, isn't it my turn-"

"Boys!" Jody yelled, silencing them both. "Look," she said once they had both calmed down. "Let's be rational. We don't even know if this is correct."

"It is." Crowley said simply. Jody rolled her eyes.

"It's a mistranslation!" Alex cried out. "All the other books say exactly the same thing. So just because it's written down, that makes it true?"

"I don't think it is a mistranslation." Sam said slowly. "I think it makes sense. Lilith was the first demon. Cain was the first knight of hell. In a way, it's still Lucifer's first."

"Okay," Garth said, "what do we do now?"

"Well," Dean said, "let's face it, I'm not going to be around forever. It's no use waiting around for me to bite the dust. There are other seals that are going to be breaking. The demons are eventually going to find out about this, but right now we have all the cards. I say we take the fight to them."

"You want to fight the hordes of hell?" Chuck asked, clutching his notes as his voice shook.

"No. I want to fight Michael and Lucifer. I want to end this."

"Are you INSANE?" Sam yelled after everyone stood in shock for a moment.

"No." Dean said, unflinching a his brother's raised tones. He looked serious. There was no humor on his face. Yet Adam thought his brother had finally snapped. Voluntarily taking on two archangels?

"You'd have to go to the cage." Adam said softly. Everyone around him flinched as they realized what this meant to him. "You'd have to face two immortal archangels. You'd have to deliver what they want right to them!" Adam's voice, while steady, was slowly crescendoing to a shout. "Do you think they won't hesitate to kill you if you somehow manage to get down there? Cause I don't. I know those angels. Better than anyone!" Adam gestured to his friends around them. "I know how much they hate each other. I know how much they hate that cage. I know how desperate they must be to work together. They will kill you, Dean. Even if you are the most powerful knight of hell. You're trying to make the sacrifice move? What do you think the angels will do to us once they walk the earth? They'll burn your brother and drag me down to hell! They'll skewer your friends right before they have an epic showdown that will kill the rest of the human race."

Dean stood still or a moment. "I have to end this. One way or another."

Adam laughed mirthlessly. "You are crazy if you think your life isn't worth that risk. You're crazy if you think the only reason we're protecting you is because of the apocalypse."

Dean didn't respond to that. Instead he turned on his heel and walked out the door. Sam immediately took off after him. He ran, faster than Adam's fleeting moment of guilt. He shouldn't have yelled at Dean. Five years ago he had said yes to Zachariah and yes again to Michael. He could blame it all on circumstance, but at the time he had truly believed that he could win. Beat the devil and save the world. It was every little kid's dream to be a hero, and Adam's had shattered when he had landed in hell. Dean's... he didn't know if Dean saw himself as the hero of the story or not. If he believed he could stop two archangels or if it wasn't worth the effort. It wasn't self loathing Adam saw in Dean's eyes before he walked out. It wasn't heroism either. It was a calculating look. Like he had a plan.

But no. Adam couldn't be sure.

Sam ran back into the room, panting. "He's gone." he said between breaths. "He took the Impala, he took off, I don't know where he went."

Adam responded without missing a beat. "Stull Cemetery."**  
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	11. Brothers

**A/N **

**Hey guys! Thanks for reading! Thanks for all the awesome reviews! If you haven't reviewed this story, I highly recommend it. Okay, so I have determined that this story will be 14 chapters, and there will be an epilogue, whether it's 14 or not I'm not sure. There will also be a sequel (eventually.) The chapter I have here for you is sappy and sentimental, cause why not? Let me know what you think. As always make sure to check out my teen wolf crossover "blood on my name," and enjoy! **

**I feel no shame in mentioning my favorite band. None at all.**

Ch. 11

Brothers

Jody tossed Sam the keys to her car. "I insist." she said immediately, quelling Sam's look of protest. "Chuck, Alex, Cas, Hannah and I will pool with Garth. We have some stuff to go over, anyways. Go after your brother." Sam nodded and began to make his way to the door.

Adam, realizing his name had been left out, spoke up. "What about me?'

"You're coming with me." Sam stated like it was obvious. "You're just as much Dean's brother as I am."

Adam flipped up the collar of his jacket to hide his creeping blush.

"I do not understand. Why don't I just teleport you to Stull Cemetery now?" Hannah asked. "You will get there hours before Dean."

"And he will turn around and drive to who knows where." Sam replied. "We know where he's headed. It's best for him to get there first and corner him."

"What if he finds a way down before you guys show?" Garth asked, worry creasing his face.

"He won't." Sam replied. "Because you-" he pointed at Crowley, "are going to figure out how he could get into the cage."

"No one said having free will meant doing the stupidest thing on the earth." Crowley muttered. But he snapped his fingers and vanished, presumably to Hell.

"With Crowley snooping, it's only a matter of time before demons find out about Plan B." Sam said, all business like. It was scary, Adam thought, how cool he could be in a crisis. Adam's mind was whirring, a combination of panicking at the current situation and panicking at the countless what-ifs he concocted. He attempted to sift through the general freaking out to listen to Sam. "You guys need to train, if only briefly, on dealing with demons." Sam continued, to Jody, Garth and Alex. "Cas and Hannah will help you. Do not leave this bunker until you feel confident enough to deal with a demon. Hannah, your rebellion will have cut off your power from Heaven. Conserve your energy." Hannah nodded.

"Sam, go." Cas urged. "Go help your brother." Sam didn't need to be told twice. He and Adam did a quick round of goodbyes before rushing out the bunker to a brown station wagon parked on the adjacent gravel road. Sam hopped into the front seat, Adam in the passenger, and Sam turned the key and ignited the engine. Adam barely had time to fasten his seatbelt before the two were off, the road their only companion.

Sam winced at the music that had come from Jody's CD player when the car had turned on. He reached to turn it off, but Adam stopped him.

"Leave it on." Adam muttered. If there was silence, he would have to either talk to Sam or deal with his own thoughts. Adam wasn't sure he could do either at the moment.

"No, this is crap." Sam said lightly, clearly sensing Adam's turmoil. "It's Dean's annoying rock music."

"It's not rock music." Adam said quietly, but he couldn't stop a smile from reaching his lips. "It's alternate. Even I know that."

"What the hell is alternate?" Sam asked. "Besides torture?"

"Not sure." Adam said. He couldn't help but grin at Sam's joke, knowing full well that it was his brother's intention. "My roommate was obsessed with it, though." Adam stared out the window wistfully. Sam took his brother's distraction as an opportunity to eject the CD from the car.

"It says it was made in 2010." Sam commented, reading the black and red disc quickly before returning his eyes to the road. "Just days after the prizefight."

Adam sighed.

"It's called _Brothers._" Sam said quietly.

Adam jumped, like he had been shocked, and grabbed for the disc in Sam's still extended hand. He raced through the black and red lettering. "Who the hell are the Black Keys?"

"No Idea." Sam replied. Adam read the disc a little more before reaching to put it back in the player. Sam raised a hand to stop him. "It's a four hour drive, Adam. We're going to have to talk sometime."

"I vote for never." Adam replied maturely.

"You wanted to play the music because you either wanted to avoid talking or being alone with your own thoughts. Dean does the same thing. Keeping it all bottled up, it's never good, Adam. Who knows how many supernatural disasters Dean and I could have avoided by talking."

"We're on our way to prevent one now." Adam said sullenly, if a little guiltily. "Surely that counts."

"I don't just mean to each other. I mean to other people! Cas, Jody, Garth. Communication is everything. So tell me, what's on your mind?" Sam asked. Although his eyes were on the road, there was genuine concern in Sam's expression. It was almost heartbreaking how much he cared for his brothers. With Dean out of reach physically, Adam supposed it wasn't easy for Sam's other brother to be in another world, too.

"Sam, how long have you known me?" Adam asked quietly. San smiled, glad he had decided to open up, but his face later turned thoughtful as he did some mental math.

"I've known you've existed for six years, I've known you for days." Sam replied. Adam flinched, and Sam immediately realized his mistake.

"100 years. You knew me for 100 years."

Sam hastened to apologize. "I'm sorry, Adam, I forgot- I didn't realize what you were referring to-"

Adam cut him off. "It's fine, Sam. It's not like they gave us much time to bond."

"What was it like, after I was gone?" Sam asked tentatively.

"Hell." Adam replied sharply. "The seventh circle of Dante's fucking inferno." Sam flinched. Adam instantly felt sorry. "It wasn't that different, Sam." Adam reassured softly. "There was a little less screaming, but the end result was the same. I felt alone down there even with you on the other side of the cage." Sam's face creased with worry. "It was my own fault." Adam admitted. "I blamed you, and I didn't trust that you wouldn't make things worse. I blamed myself, and I didn't trust that _I _wouldn't make things worse. I didn't reach out." Adam took a deep breath. "Well this is me reaching out. I got out of the cage curious. I got out of Hell angry. I couldn't process my own memories, so I couldn't process my own emotions. When I was asleep for those three weeks, and those memories were being incorporated into my head, I guess I got to it. I don't blame you anymore. I'm not even that mad at Dean."

"Hating Dean isn't what I'm worried about." Sam said. He had flinched at Adam's mention of Hell, but clearly did not want to go into it.

Adam groaned once he realized where this conversation was headed. "You're worried about the family trait of self loathing." Sam didn't deny it. "What if this time it's actually my fault?"

"Adam, how is this your fault?" Sam asked, genuinely curious.

"If I had succeeded in killing Dean, I would have re-started the apocalypse." Adam replied, raising his voice from it's previously quiet tenure.

"You wouldn't have been able to kill Dean." Sam said with a wave of his hand. "Crowley sent you on a suicide mission."

Adam was briefly stunned. "Why would he do that? Did he know what the angels were planning? Is he on their side?" An edge of panic creeped into Adam's voice as he imagined the most powerful demon in hell wanting to free the devil.

"I don't know how Crowley works, but I do know he doesn't want the devil back. Crowley wasn't always the King of Hell. He rose to power after Lucifer was locked away, and had a great deal of trouble establishing his reign. Believe me, he wants to keep things as is. He probably just wanted you to capture Dean, cause no one can kill a Knight of Hell unless they have the mark of Cain. And, evidently, and archangel."

"So it's all a coincidence?" Adam asked skeptically. "Crowley and the devil wanting Dean dead at the same time, using me?"

"Yes and no." Sam replied. "They both wanted Dean dead because he was a demon. Crowley used you because you were there. I don't think the archangels imagined for a second that you would be the one to-oh." Sam paused as he finally realized why Adam was feeling guilty. "Adam," he said, turning away from to road to look at his brother, "you didn't start this by coming to earth. It had already started. Someone in hell would have seen you, put the pieces together. You coming back to life gave us an extra advantage."

"I appreciate the brotherly love," Adam said with an unnecessary eye roll, "but that isn't it." Sam raised his eyebrows questioningly. "I also feel guilty because I know how he's feeling." The name 'Dean' hung in the air, unsaid. "I know what it's like to feel like the impossible hero, to have amazing odds and an unbelievable plan. To be the one who believes they can save the day."

"When you said yes to Zachariah." Sam stated. Adam nodded.

"And when I said yes to Michael. I was scared, sure, but part of me believed I could do it. I still believed it when I thought I could pull you back from Hell."

Sam stared at the distance, looking thoughtful, before he burst out laughing. Adam looked at his brother, alarmed, as Sam threw his head back, sending his long brown hair everywhere. "Adam," he said between chuckles, "everyone feels like that. _Especially _Dean and I. It comes with the job! It's generally when the stupid things happen. I thought I could stop the yellow-eyed demon. Dean thought he could save me from death. I thought I could stop Lilith without my brother. Dean thought he could end the apocalypse without me. Cas thought he could save the world. I thought I could close the gates of Hell. Dean tried to save me from death, again. It's when the miscommunication happens. It's when we don't listen to each other. Our job gives us a freedom that no one else has. And with that comes-"

"Hold up." Adam said, raising his hand to stop his brother. "Closing the gates of Hell? Bela didn't mention that."

"Yeah." Sam said with a sigh. "Please don't be mad."

"Dean said you forgot about me. I guess it was true." Sam flinched and shot Adam an apologetic look. Adam didn't respond. He just stared out the window at the fading trees.

"It's been less than an hour." Sam mumbled, more to himself than to Adam. "We have more than three to go. Good luck not talking."

It was after some time that Adam finally spoke again.

"I think Dean has a plan."

This caught Sam by surprise, both the suddenness of Adam's voice, and the content of his words.

"What makes you say that?" Sam asked, careful to not sound too hopeful.

"I saw his eyes right before he left. The usual self loathing and guilt were present, sure, but he looked almost...calculating." Sam nodded before sighing.

"Let's hope his plan isn't stupid."

"Hear, hear." Adam agreed. He thought as they continued driving. Everything he told Sam was true, and to be honest, he did feel better. He was less panicked now, knowing Sam was with him, knowing he wasn't to blame. They would talk Dean down from the ledge, he was sure of it. The turmoil in his head settled to an easy breeze. _Yesterday. Did I really only wake up yesterday? _He looked down at the disc in his hands he hadn't realized he had been spinning. _Brothers. _He laughed at the sentiment. _I've known one for days, and one for a century. _

"I forgive you, Sam, for wanting to close the gates. It's what I would have done."

Sam smiled but it was thin. He was clearly still guilty, but Adam's apology helped.

"Can we put this back in now?" Adam asked, holding up the CD. "We talked, I feel better, and we still have 2 hours to go." Sam thought about it for a minute and nodded. Adam popped the album into the CD player, and before long the sound of drums and guitars thrummed through the vehicle.

Sam, to Adam's surprise, hummed along to the music, even dancing a little and singing some of the words.

"I thought you didn't like this!" Adam shouted with a laugh over the steady beat.

Sam smiled at his brother. "It's growing on me."


	12. The One With the Fight Scene

**A/N **

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading. Kudos if you get the _Friends _reference in the chapter title. Thanks so much for all the awesome reviews! Since this work is 14 chapters, the one after this is the last one before the epilogue. As always, please review and check out my teen wolf crossover "blood on my name," and enjoy!**

Ch. 12

The One With the Fight Scene

"15 minutes." Adam told Sam after looking at the map of Kansas in the glove compartment.

"Good. Call Jody." Sam said, handing Adam his cell phone. It took Adam a couple seconds to figure it out.

"Back in my day, iPhones were damn complex enough." he grumbled, while Sam restrained his laughter. Eventually, Adam made the call.

"Mills."

"Hey Jody, it's Adam calling on behalf of Sam."

"Hey Adam. What's your status?" Jody asked kindly.

'We're about 15 minutes from Lawrence. Adam said. He could hear a lot of voices in the background of the call. "Are you on the road?"

"Yeah, we left 2 hours ago." Jody confirmed. "Don't worry. We have enough holy water to drown Hell. Garth has fought demons before, I sure as hell am good to go, Chuck is, well, Chuck, and Alex didn't survive eight years with vampires for nothing."

"Good." Adam said. He glanced at Sam to see how much he had heard. Judging from the way he gripped the steering wheel, all of it.

"Jody, we're just getting to the city limits. I'll call you back later with an update."

"Roger that." Jody said, and then she hung up.

Adam was left staring at the blank phone.

"I don't like this." Sam said firmly.

"Well I don't either! Everyone has a better chance of beating a demon than me!" Adam said with a sigh.

"We're throwing our friends into the line of fire for something we're not even sure will work." Sam stated. "We've done this before. Ellen, Jo, Cas, Bobby... All of them died in the last apocalypse. Cas and Bobby got resurrected, but still. Who knows what will happen this time round."

"There won't be another time, because we are going to stop this." Adam said. He wasn't sure where his newfound confidence had come from but he knew Sam couldn't lose faith. "Look-there it is." The brown station wagon approached two black wrought-iron gates. Stull Cemetery.

Sam killed the engine and the two exited the car quickly and ran through the gates. "Dean!" Sam shouted. It echoed across the clear afternoon sky. Sure enough, there was Dean, standing on the patch of yellow grass where Adam had woken up weeks ago. Sam took off running, and Adam followed. Dean's back was to them and he didn't turn around until Sam grabbed his shoulder and turned him.

"Sammy." Dean said. "Adam." There wasn't hopelessness in his eyes, which made Sam step back in confusion. It was exactly what Adam said. Cold, calculating. "I was hoping you wouldn't follow me, but I guess I'm not surprised."

"Dean, what the hell are you planning on doing?" Sam asked, his voice sounding confused, relieved, worried, and angry all at the same time.

Dean smiled, and it set Adam's teeth on edge. How could he be casual at a time like this?

"I was trying to figure out a way into the cage, but something tells me that you're already on it."

"Crowley." Sam said. Dean didn't look surprised. "Everyone else will be here soon. The team you left behind in the dust."

"Good." Dean said sincerely, and Adam and Sam both jumped, startled.

"How is that good?" Adam asked. "I thought you were all going-it-alone?"

"I was but the four hour drive got me thinking. I can't do this alone."

Sam took a rattling breath. "Thank god."

Dean smiled, and Adam could see that he was telling the truth. He was planning on facing the angels alone, but he changed his mind. Still... "What's this plan of yours?" he couldn't help but ask.

Garth, Jody, Alex, Cas, Chuck, and Hannah (it had been a very crowded car) all spilled from Garth's car as he pocketed the keys, and they all ran through the cemetery gates. They stopped when they found Sam, Adam, and Dean waiting for them.

"Thank Chuck." Alex muttered.

Jody slapped Dean on the cheek. Cas merely looked at him sternly. Dean, to his credit, looked a little ashamed.

"Hey, woah!" Sam said, jumping in to break up what was sure to be an onslaught. "It's fine! Dean was just doing what he thought was right!" Everyone looked at him confused.

"You were singing a different tune earlier, Sam." Garth commented.

"I know, but then he told us his plan." Sam replied. "It's good." Sam looked to Adam for support.

"We're going down to the cage." Adam stated.

"Are you out of your-" Cas was cut of by Crowley.

"Hello, boys. And girls." he added an afterthought. Crowley looked haggard and a little bit panicked. "I found a way into the cage. Unfortunately, a small faction of demons found me out. They're on their way here."

"How many?" Hannah demanded.

"Ten? It's hard to say."

"So how do we get into the cage?" Dean asked.

Crowley looked at him like he was crazy. "You're barking mad, all three of you, but if you really want to do it, ask him." He pointed at Adam, who looked doubtful. "The angels let him out, it can only be assumed that they can drag him back in. He just has to let them know he's here."

"How do I do that?" Adam asked. Crowley rolled his eyes.

"Pray, you moron."

Suddenly ten demons ran through the cemetery gates.

"Dean, Sam, do you have your angel blades?" Cas asked with rushed concern. Sam and Dean quickly pulled them from their jacket pockets.

"I don't know how much good they'll do." Dean said.

"It's a start." Cas merely replied. He and the others backed away from Sam, Dean, and Adam.

"You can't be serious!" Dean yelled. "Ten demons?"

"We'll hold them off." Jody said calmly, and Adam saw that she and the other humans all had canteens of holy water. Crowley, Hannah, and Cas all pulled out their angel blades. They turned from the brothers, and faced the oncoming horde.

"Dean, GO!" Cas yelled.

Sam and Dean turned towards Adam. "There's something you need to know." Adam rushed. "Michael and Lucifer look like their old vessels. Michael looks like Dad."

"We'll explain that." Dean said reminiscently. "After we get back."

Adam smiled grimly. "You know a trip to hell is usually a one way ticket, right?"

Dean looked around him, amused. "We seem to be the exception."

"Whenever you're ready, Adam." Sam said patiently.

"Okay." _Hey Michael, Lucifer, umm... it's Adam. I'm over the cage. I have Dean Winchester. _

There was a beat, and then the ground rumbled. The demons reached Team Free Will. And then the ground opened up and swallowed the Winchester brothers whole.

There were ten of them running towards them, some with knives and some unarmed. "Go!" Jody shouted, and then it was war.

The first one, obviously the stupidest, ran straight to Crowley. Crowley didn't even flinch. He stabbed the boy. The demon went down, flickering.

Jody was a little less lucky. Two demons with knives charged for her, long brown locks flowing in the wind. Jody pulled out a knife of her own in her right hand, her left holding a canteen of holy water. She splashed holy water in both the demon's faces. They howled, and she tackled them to the ground, one on top of the other. Using adrenaline she didn't even know she had, she muttered a quick exorcism, and the demons left the bodies. Jody felt for a pulse, but both girls were dead.

Garth swung his knife at the bear-sized man who came after him. The demon easily dodged, and merely hissed at the holy water. He lunged at Garth, and wrapped his thick hands around his throat. Garth grasped for the hands squeezing his neck to no avail, then he swiped at them with his claws. Surprised, the demon dropped him, and Garth rolled under his swiping hands. He pulled a gun from his pocket and in two swift bullets shot the demon's legs. He fell to the ground while Garth stood over him and said an exorcism.

"_...te rogamus audi nos, _ya idjit."

Once the demon was exorcised the man inside began panicking. Garth helped him to his feet and walked him to his car, before running and rejoining the fight.

Meanwhile, three demons were circling Cas. He twirled his angel blade as he watched them with apprehension. Two were female and one was male, all in their twenties, all looking fierce.

"Come on." Castiel egged. He may not be a full-powered angel anymore, but he still knew how to fight like one.

The three demons charged at him simultaneously. The first one to get to him threw a punch, which he dodged and retaliated with a swift uppercut. She fell down, and another one took her place. The male demon kicked Cas to the ground. Cas immediately bounded back up and turned and stabbed the female demon who was about to tackle him from behind. Pulling his blade out of her stomach, he turned and stabbed the male demon who was advancing. The last demon stood at a distance, glowering menacingly. Until, suddenly, she was on the ground. Chuck stood over her with a very heavy book in his hands. (To this day no one knows where he got it from.) Castiel wasted no time in stabbing the fallen demon. The three bodies, bleeding heavily, lied still.

"Thank you, Chuck." Cas spoke with heavy sincerely.

"It's no problem." Chuck squeaked in a far-off voice. He looked down at the girl's vacant body like he could not believe he had just done that.

Hannah fought off two demons, both men, while a young girl charged directly for Alex. She tackled the hunter to the ground, kicking and screaming, and the demon threw punches at Alex's face. With a scream, Alex kicked the girl off of her while Hannah swung her blade again and again to keep her demons at a distance. Jody and Garth, finished with their battles, ran to help. Alex doused the demon girl in holy water, but she kept getting back up again splash after splash. Soon Alex would run out.

"Alex!" Hannah yelled, tossing the girl her angel blade while her other outstretched hand smote the demon who charged her. Alex caught the blade in the flash of orange light and stabbed her demon girl in the gut. Jody and Garth tackled the remaining demon that Hannah did not smite and yelled an exorcism. The demon let out a wail and flew away in a magnificent cloud of black smoke, while the body of the man fell. Jody checked his pulse. He was alive.

There was silence in the cemetery, then, save for the heavy breathing of Team Free Will and the two survivors. Jody held the young man reassuringly, while Garth went and brought over the bear-like man, who was shaking. Hannah put one of her hands on each head and they vanished.

"They are at the local hospital." she said, "Convinced that they have both been mugged. As for the bodies..."

Alex sighed. "I'll grab the shovels."

Once the bodies had been buried, complete with makeshift headstones, (it was a cemetery, after all,) Team Free will stood around the grassy area directly over the cage.

"You were of no assistance." Cas said to Crowley.

"What are you talking about? I killed one demon!" Crowley said, offended.

"And then you just stood there-"

"Boys!" Hannah snapped. Crowley and Cas shut up immediately, looking surprised and a little impressed. Jody smiled proudly.

"How long until they get back up?" Alex asked, her eyes trailing along the soft, dead grass.

"Dunno." Garth commented.

"Minutes to hours." Cas replied. "Time moves quickly in the cage. What could be days to them would be less than one to us. I imagine they should resurface soon." No one finished his sentence. _If they survive. _

Garth looked around him. "Anyone got any lawn chairs? No?"

No one spoke after that. They merely stood, staring at the grass, willing it to open up and bring the Winchesters home. It was half an hour, maybe, when Alex plopped down, cross-legged. Not long after, the others joined her, until they were sitting in a circle around the cage.


	13. Round Trip

**A/N **

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for reading! Okay, so this is the second to last chapter. Technically the last chapter since the following one is an epilogue. Writing this story has been awesome and I just want to thank everyone so much for all the reviews and support! There will be a sequel eventually, not sure when, and stay tuned tomorrow for the final chapter. As always, please review, check out my teen wolf crossover "blood on my name," and enjoy!**

Ch. 13

Round Trip

The wind rushed into his ears for maybe a minute. Two. Two minutes. That was all Adam had to realize he had made a grave mistake. To minutes to scream his lungs out, before he was silenced by sheer fear as his feet touched the ground. It wasn't his fear, at least, he wasn't afraid at the moment. It was old fear, centuries of torture and cowering, slamming against the bars of his brain. Whatever Crowley had done to his head didn't seem to work down here. Sam and Dean touched down gracelessly behind him, with a lot of cursing from Dean, and the three of them were face to face with Lucifer and Michael.

It wasn't like there was anywhere to hide. The earth walls of the cage, scorched by eon's of Lucifer's rage, were a pinkish red color, and utterly smooth. The cage was a complete circle, big enough for there to be several yards between the Winchesters and the archangels, but not much else.

"This looks like the inside of a throat." Dean muttered. He wasn't wrong. It was if the devil himself had opened up and swallowed them whole. But no, here was the devil, staring at the three with a condescending smile on his face, his clothes as spotless as the day he fell, with his stern brother at his side. Lucifer looked like what Sam and Dean had called "Nick." Sandy hair, average height and build, evil look on his face. His vessel, instead of being stretched thin like Zachariah had shown Adam, was perfect. Michael was a little shorter than his brother, black hair, handsome young face, the faintest rough traces of the John Winchester Adam knew. And now they were both looking at him. Lovely.

"Hello to you too, Dean." Lucifer said with a simpering grin.

Sam glared at Lucifer harsh enough to start fires, but the devil ignored it.

"Dean, I apologize." Michael said in his stolen Kansas drawl. "But your death is the only way that things are made right. Surely you realize this."

"Save your apologies." Dean spat. He stepped forward, but an outstretched hand from Sam held him back. _Not yet. _

"What I want to know," Sam said calmly, despite seeing the devil for the first time he had been out of the cage, "is how you knew all this would happen. Dean getting the Mark. Becoming a demon."

"We didn't." Lucifer singsonged. "But when it happened? It was just too good to be tru-uuue."

Adam scoffed. _Make them angry. _"I have to say, I'm not impressed. A mistranslation? Really?" Lucifer glowered. "I guess you're too used to the other angels bending the rules." Lucifer was now shaking with rage. "Do you think your father, abandoning dick as he is, would be very proud of you now" Lucifer snapped. He stalked up to Adam and grabbed him around the neck before slamming him against the smooth, scorched walls. Sam and Dean instantly unsheathed their angel blades.

"Relax." Lucifer said with what can only be described as an evil laugh. "In here, you can't even escape by dying. Which means those are useless."

"They can still hurt!" Dean snarled as he stabbed Lucifer in the back. Lucifer yelled and Adam dropped to the floor. He whirled on Dean, but Michael beat him to it.

"You would dare!" Michael roared, throwing Dean across the cage to land roughly against the wall.

"I would." Dean said, rebounding up. Lucifer went to Sam, who tried to stab him before being thrown against a wall himself. This left Adam, standing alone in the cage, watching his two brothers get whailed on by two archangels. Exactly as planned.

Sam and Dean fought off Lucifer and Michael expertly, twirling their blades and stabbing them numerous times. This, naturally, only made the angels angrier. Lucifer kicked Sam in the stomach, which made him fall to the floor. Then, Lucifer just kept kicking him. Doubled over and in pain, Sam grasped for his angel blade, and stabbed the air blindly. It landed on Lucifer's leg, giving Sam enough time to stand up. The two began fistfighting then, ducks and blows with the occasional kicks. Lucifer was too fast for Sam. It wouldn't be long before he was on the floor again.

Dean wasn't faring much better. Michael was punching him repeatedly, and, obviously conserving his strength, Dean was taking it without much fighting back. Soon, it might be too late. Adam had a choice. He could either do what Dean asked him to do, or save him. Dean had known it would come down to this. _It'll be between me and Sam. Choose Sam, or else everything gets screwed up. _

Adam ran, lept, and tackled Lucifer from behind. The pair went down, and Sam kicked Lucifer in the stomach, just like what had been done to him. He kept kicking until Lucifer was weak enough to hold down.

Meanwhile, Dean tapped into his reserved strenght. He surged forward, surprising Michael.

"Dean!" Michael said, stepping back warily. "Stop. This doesn't have to end this way. You don't have to die." Dean paused.

"I'm listening."

"What is he doing?" Adam asked Sam, his voice heavy with panic and concern. "He's going back on the plan!"

"I don't know what he's doing!" Sam said angrily, still restraining the devil. Michael shot them a victorious grin.

"This doesn't have to end with your blood." Michael continued. "Help me defeat Lucifer," he gestured to his sandy-haired brother on the floor, "help me kill him, and I will gladly stay in this cage for eternity. I will grant you and your brothers a safe passage home."

"He's lying!" Adam yelled, desperate to get through to his brother. "Dean! Listen to me!"

"What did you think would happen when you came down here?" Michael asked Dean, a gleam in his eyes. Dean shrugged, looking unsure of himself. "Did you think you could kill us? Plead for your life? Convince us to stay down here like good little soldiers? I'm telling you that _I _can kill _him. _Let me end this." Dean looked from his struggling brothers to the angel in front of him and back again.

"What do I have to do?" Dean asked, his voice a paradox between uncertainty and conviction.

Michael merely smiled. "What you never have done. Say yes." Dean almost spoke, right then and there, but he paused.

"If I say yes, which somehow helps you defeat the devil, and you kill Lucifer, then you'll let us go? Me, Sam, and Adam?" Michael smiled widely and nodded.

"Dean!" Sam yelled.

"Let's shake on it." Dean said. He outstretched his right hand. Michael proudly shook it.

"_What's this plan of yours?" Adam asked, anxious to get Dean talking. Dean seemed to sense this, for he rushed into it. _

"_We go down to the - Sam- hear me out. Michael and Lucifer will be waiting. Now, they can't escape the cage, not even by dying, right?" Adam nodded. "Then the blades are useless, but that doesn't matter. We face them, and Adam gets them angry. Really angry. They'll come charging. I don't care how, but Sam, you need to take on Lucifer. You know him best. Just distract him, if only for a few minutes. I'll take Michael." _

"_What about me?" Adam asked, almost terrified to find out. _

"_You need to help one of us, and I'm asking you to help Sam. It's going to look bad, but promise me you'll choose Sam. I need to be alone with Michael." _

"_I promise. But Dean, why?" _

"_Michael's going to try to strike a deal. It's going to be crap, but I'm going to act convinced." _

"_How do you know this?" Sam asked reproachfully. _

"_Angels love manipulating. Call it a hunch. Like I said, I'm going to act convinced, but you need to play the part, too. Scream, shout, act like I'm backing down on the plan. _

"_What are you going to do when you have Michael?" Dean merely smiled as he told them. _

"_Dean," Sam said with a sigh, "this is by far your stupidest plan. You have no idea if this will work." _

"_Who cares? Let's get off this crazy train." _

Michael yelped as Dean's grip on his hand turned vicelike. He screamed as the pressure grew. Dean was now gripping his wrist forcefully. Slowly, threads of red snaked from Dean's exposed forearm to Michael's.

"What- what are you doing?" Michael asked, terrified.

"What does it look like?" Dean said, gritting through the pain.

Michael let out a maniacal laugh as more and more strands of red appeared. "You think you can do this to me? I am not a murderer!" he shrieked.

"Oh, really?" Dean asked. "Tell that to the billions of people you would have slaughtered. Tell that to my brothers. Tell that to my damned free will! You would have killed them all! Michael, there is no one more worth of the Mark than you!"

"No!" Lucifer yelled, his struggling becoming too much for Sam and Adam. He broke free of them and rushed to his brother, but it was too late.

The cursed threads left Dean's arm and coiled themselves into the shape of the mark on Michael's. He hissed as the image of the first blade burned into his arm.

He stood still for a moment, looking down at his arm in shock. Then he howled, sinking to his knees.

"What have you done?" Lucifer roared thunderously, whirling on the three Winchesters.

"What you always wanted!" Sam yelled back. "You want out of here, you're going to have to kill your brother!"

"I-I can't."

"We know."

Michael was quiet now. He stared at his arm in sick fascination.

"Despite your rage," Sam continued, "despite your _mission, _you were the one who never wanted to fight to the death. I was awake in Stull Cemetery. I know you offered Michael a way out, a chance to reconsider." Lucifer watched his former vessel in shock. "Here's your chance." Both looked down at Michael, collapsed on the floor.

"This was your plan." Lucifer hissed. "How do you think you'll escape the cage again?"

"You'll let us out." Sam said simply.

Lucifer studied him with a tortured glare. "Will I?"

"Yes." Sam replied confidently. "Cause you don't want us to witness this. We're no longer a part of this story." Lucifer glared, but it gave way to a look of sadness. He snapped his fingers, and a door appeared in the previously smooth walls.

"Never come back. This story ends here."

Sam nodded in understanding, and the Winchesters piled through the door to hell, leaving Lucifer to comfort his older brother.


	14. Epilogue

**A/N **

**Hey guys! This is the final chapter! Thanks so much for reading! I want to thank all my reviewers and readers for reviewing and reading, and I want to encourage everyone to check out my future stories. I will post a sequel or continuation type thing some time in the next few weeks, at the very least another supernatural story. This has been an awesome two weeks! As always, be sure to check out my teen wolf crossover "one way ticket," thanks so much again, and enjoy!**

Ch. 14

Epilogue

Dean, Sam, and Adam woke up on a grassy field under a starry sky.

"Alright." Dean said with a groan as he stood up, "I'm not even going to ask how we got out of hell."

"Crowley, probably." Adam said. "Full circle."

"Dean, Adam, look." Sam said, gesturing around him. Though it was dark out, the forms of several collapsed people were surrounding them in a wide circle.

Sam, Dean, and Adam rushed over to the one nearest to them, which turned out to be Garth.

"He's asleep." Sam said, relieved. Sam shook Garth's shoulder. "Wake, up, man."

"Sam?" Garth asked, bleary. Then he shot up, wide awake. "You made it!"

Dean and Adam went around and shook everyone awake, moving on opposite sides of the circle. Hannah hadn't been sleeping, but she was deep in thought when Dean roused her. Crowley was just standing there, arms crossed.

"You're welcome." he told Adam. Adam merely nodded thanks, rubbing his cheek where Alex had slapped him for waking her up.

"So," Jody began when everyone had finished stretching, "What happened?"

"You gave Michael the Mark of Cain." Cas mused once Dean had finished telling the story. "It's a good plan. I don't know of the effects it will have on Michael's grace, but he and Lucifer will not be leaving the cage any time soon."

"Yeah, well." Dean said nonchalantly, trying his best to look humble.

"What about you guys?" Sam asked. "Did everything go okay here?"

"If you mean did we take on ten demon and live then yes, it went okay." Jody replied with a smile.

"It was awesome!" Alex added. "I was fighting this demon, and then Hannah threw me her sword-"

"Angel blade." Corrected Hannah with a small smile.

"And she was smiting a demon at the same time, it was so cool!"

Hannah looked at the ground but couldn't contain her pleased expression.

"I'm going to have a hard time convincing her to stick to ghosts." Jody mumbled.

"What about you, Garth?" Sam asked.

Garth grinned wolfishly. "The demon I faced didn't expect to see a hunter with claws."

"It seems that most demons still dislike me." Cas said, disgruntled. "Were it not for Chuck I do not know what would have happened."

"Alright!" Dean said happily.

"Not alright." Chuck said weakly. He still looked green from the battle. "I think I need some whisky."

"We have some at the bunker." Sam offered. Dean tossed Adam the keys to the Impala. Adam looked at them, astonished.

"You're driving. I am too god damned tired."

"How do you feel, Dean?" Sam asked his brother from the back seat of the Impala. Adam was driving, license be damned, and couldn't help but reminisce to the first time John had taken him around in this very car. A much different John than he thought.

"I'm good." Dean said. "Seriously." He added after seeing Sam's worried face. "It feels like this weight is off my shoulders. No bloodlust, no demon, just me." Satisfied, Sam sat back and looked out the window.

It was well past midnight by the time everyone had made it back to the bunker- in excellent time since the roads were practically empty- but Sam and Dean still felt the need to kick back with a few beers and unwind. They were joined by Jody and Garth, while Crowley disappeared and came back with Craig Scotch.

Adam didn't want a beer, he never liked it, even in college. Alex, apparently, shared his aversion, for she sat down across from Adam empty handed.

"So," he asked casually, "you're in high school?"

"Just for a couple more months. Then I'm out." She said, looking a little bleary-eyed.

"College?"

"Not sure." she admitted. "Jody wants me to go so I have options, but I don't see myself as a hunter."

"You should check out University of Minnesota." Adam offered.

Alex looked thoughtful. "Is that where you went?"

"Yeah." he replied with a weak chuckle. "Before I was lured home and eaten by ghouls."

"Are you going to go back?"

"No. I'm legally dead, I don't think I can apply for student loans." Adam said with a small smile. Then, he steeled himself. "Look," he grabbed a nearby piece of paper. "Here's my number." He wrote down the number of the phone Dean had gotten him while he was out.

"I have a boyfriend." Alex said haughtily.

"I figured. Just call me if you want to talk about hunting and stuff. I'm new at this too." Alex thought for a moment before taking the piece of paper from Adam and slipping it into her pocket.

Garth left early the next morning, apologizing profusely. "Look, I'd love to stay, but I have to get home. My wife is, uh, pregnant." There was a stunned silence from Sam and Dean, which gave Garth the opportunity to swoop in and hug them both.

"Uh, human or werewolf?" Sam asked once the shock had worn off.

"Not sure!" Garth cheerfully replied. He gave Adam a hug too before driving away in the sunrise.

Jody and Alex left soon after that. "Sorry to run!" Jody said with a smile. "But I have a sheriff convention to get to. And this one still has school." Jody gave Sam and Dean hugs before getting in the car. Alex followed suit, but not before walking up to Hannah.

"I just want to say thanks again for helping me." she said eagerly.

"It was no trouble." Hannah replied graciously.

"Good, so let's start on your clothes. I may have been raised by vampires, but even I know that that collar and that sweater don't work. Get some real clothes, honey." Sam raised his eyebrows, surprised, Dean whistled, and Hannah just stood there, shocked.

"Smooth." Jody said to her adoptive daughter once she had climbed into the station wagon.

"I try. Now where's my CD?" Alex looked around for the black and red lettering.

"I took it out. I'm not listening to that alternate crap." Jody said sternly. Alex sighed. "We had a deal, Alex. My music on the way home." Alex's eyes widened, horrified. It was going to be a long trip.

"One more thing." Jody added. "You don't have a boyfriend." Alex looked up from where she had been adding Adam's contact, surprised.

"I know." She admitted tentatively.

"And it's staying that way." Jody said firmly.

"But Jody-"

"Alex, the age difference alone-"

"He's 19."

"He just got risen from Hell 3 weeks ago!"

"Alright!" Alex said angrily. "Alright!"

The resounding silence lasted several minutes before Alex asked, "Can we at least hunt more demons?"

Jody rolled her eyes.

"Well, I have a hell to run." Crowley said after he finished his fourth Scotch. "Maybe I'll be able to do it now."

"Yeah, no hard feelings, right Crowley?" Dean asked.

"Nah." Crowley said. "To be honest, I'm not sure what I saw in demon Dean. Goodbye Moose. Squirrel. Feathers. Prophet. Roadkill."

Dean and Sam laughed at Adam's nickname, and Crowley snapped his fingers and was gone. Adam glared after him.

"You sure you have to go, Chuck?" Dean asked the prophet later as he climbed into his small green car. He, Sam and Adam had come to see him off while Cas and Hannah waited inside. "You're welcome to stay."

"No, I should go." Chuck replied, albeit a little reluctantly.

"Well, thanks for your help." Sam said sincerely.

"I barely helped at all." Chuck said. "I just kind of stood there, scared."

"No, you gave me that book." Adam corrected. "The one with the mistranslation. I was pulling them all off the stacks and I thought I got them all, but you gave me one I missed."

"Did I?" Chuck said with a casual innocence. "I don't remember."

Sam, Dean, and Adam looked at Chuck reproachfully.

"You're still not going to tell us where you've been?" Dean inquired. Chuck shook his head. "Or where you're going?"

"I have no idea where I'm headed." Chuck responded cryptically.

"Alright, well give us a call if you need anything. And you're always welcome here." Sam said. He tapped the roof of the car. "Have a good trip."

"Thanks guys." Chuck said sincerely. He drove off in the distance with a light smile on his face.

"I wonder what he thought of the musical." Sam pondered.

Dean flinched. "We are never mentioning that again."

Adam was confused. "But what is-"

Dean cut him off sharply. "Nope. Nuh-uh." He went back into the bunker to join Cas and Hannah, shaking his head furiously on the way. Sam and Adam looked at each other and rolled their eyes before following him.

"I forgot to ask you, Cas." Dean said to his friend as he strolled back into the bunker. "Where's that tan nightmare of yours?"

"Denver." Cas replied. "It remained there since Hannah transported us here." He then looked at Adam sternly. "I hope it does not get stolen again."

Adam flushed. "Sorry about that." Dean looked from Cas to Hannah to Adam and back again.

"Son of a bitch." He murmured. "I wondered how you got here from Lawrence."

"So what's next, you guys?" Sam asked the angels, unfazed by Adam's car thievery. Cas had reported it to him over the phone and when he found out Adam had risen in Lawrence he had figured it out.

"The mission, I suppose." Hannah postulated, looking at Cas for confirmation. "We will be finished with it soon. But first, shopping." Sam and Dean looked at her quizzically.

"Just cause Alex said you look weird-" Dean began, close to laughter.

"No, no, Caroline agrees with her." Hannah corrected. "My vessel. She said I look like I am from the 1880's. I am much older than that so I do not quite understand-"

"Wait a minute." Dean said, stopping her with a raised hand. "How is your vessel not screaming to be let out?"

"She is content." Hannah said, like it was obvious.

"Explain." Sam said.

Hannah sighed. "When I found Caroline, she had just been in a fatal automobile accident. Her husband had perished, and she was about to die. I offered to heal her, once I am done on earth, but she does not see the ethics in being brought back to life by a means other than science. She is content to spend eternity in heaven with her husband once I am finished on earth."

"Okay." Adam said a little sarcastically. "That clears everything up."

Hannah, missing the sarcasm, nodded. "Indeed, it does." Then, to Castiel, "Shall we?"

"Goodbye, Sam, Dean and Adam. Let me know if anything comes up." Cas said to the Winchesters.

"Keep in touch, Cas." Dean replied. Then Hannah put her hand on Cas' shoulder and both the angels were gone.

"So, when should I take off?" Adam asked his brothers, nursing a glass of sparkling water while his brothers sat with beers at the long brown table.

"You can't be serious." Dean said incredulously. "The whole thing that just happened and you still think we don't want you?"

"Well, no," Adam admitted, suddenly thinking that this conversation was a very bad idea, "It's just, I'm having a hard time picturing myself staying here."

"You don't have to stay here to stay with us." Sam said. "There's plenty of cars in the garage. Pick one, start hunting, come back when you're near."

"Well," Adam said quietly, stunned by the swiftness of Sam's offer. "That doesn't sound too bad. Won't I need training, though?"

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Sam said with a smile. "Unless you want to stick around for a while so we can teach you a few moves."

"Sure!" Adam said eagerly, sitting down. It would be great. He's learn for the next few days, then go out into the world. "But I'll need money, won't I."

Dean grinned, catching on to Sam's intentions. "Sam and I will set you up with some aliases, badges, and accounts. It might take a little while, though."

"Yeah." Adam said, leaning back to stare at the gold tiles on the ceiling. It wouldn't be too bad. He had a comfy bed and an amazing cook for a brother. He could stay here for a couple of days while everything got ready. Or weeks. He could go hunting with his brothers until he was ready to go solo. He didn't have to rush into anything...

"So, Adam, when are you leaving?" Sam asked casually despite the wide grin on his face.

Adam laughed, resigned. "Not for a little while."


End file.
